Synonyms of burns

burns 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of burn

1

as in glows

to be on fire especially brightly

all evening long we just sat there, contentedly watching the Yule log burn

Synonyms & Similar Words

• glows
• flames
• blazes
• fires
• combusts
• flickers
• gleams
• shines
• smolders
• ignites
• goes up in flames
• melts
• scorches
• kindles
• cooks
• bakes
• sparks
• wavers
• roasts
• sputters
• lights (up)
• enkindles
• brightens
• flashes
• flares (up)
• catches
• radiates
• beams
• sparkles
• chars
• deflagrates
• glistens
• beats (down)
• glints
• glares
• shimmers
• broils
• swelters
• glitters
• glimmers
• twinkles
• gutters
• scintillates

2

as in scorches

to set (something) on fire

it is not a good idea to try to burn old papers in the sink

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scorches
• ignites
• fires
• lights
• torches
• kindles
• inflames
• enkindles
• illumines
• bakes
• illuminates
• immolates
• cooks
• incinerates
• ashes
• broils
• sets off
• brightens
• lightens
• chars
• scalds
• stokes
• relights
• deflagrates
• radiates
• rekindles
• irradiates
• sears
• kilns
• cremates
• reignites
• frizzles
• banks
• scathes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extinguishes
• quenches
• puts out
• chokes
• smothers
• suffocates
• stamps (out)
• douses
• snuffs (out)
• obscures
• darkens
• dims
• blackens
• dulls

3

as in steams

to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger

he came home burning with anger because of a reprimand at work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steams
• rages
• boils
• fumes
• storms
• shakes
• foams
• seethes
• rankles
• sizzles
• smolders
• sees red
• agitates
• inflames
• rants
• raves
• fulminates
• bristles
• flares (up)
• chafes
• convulses
• frets
• roils
• stews

4

as in flames

to shine with a bright harsh light

the bright streetlight outside our motel room burned all night long

Synonyms & Similar Words

• glows
• flames
• glares
• blazes
• gleams
• flares
• flashes
• beats
• glances
• radiates
• sparkles
• beams
• glistens
• glints
• shimmers
• glitters
• twinkles
• glimmers
• dazzles
• blinds
• scintillates
• glisters
• dazes
• bedazzles

5

as in deceives

to cause to believe what is untrue

he's been burned before, so he's careful to double-check such claims now

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deceives
• tricks
• fools
• stings
• kids
• teases
• misleads
• juggles
• deludes
• snows
• misguides
• catches
• misinforms
• sucks in
• beguiles
• suckers
• strings along
• hoodwinks
• has on
• has
• bamboozles
• spoofs
• cheats
• dupes
• takes in
• bluffs
• hoaxes
• humbugs
• cozens
• does a number on
• gaffs
• gulls
• fakes out
• cons
• buffaloes
• hornswoggles
• gammons
• sticks
• bleeds
• snookers
• pulls one's leg
• pulls the wool over one's eyes
• leads one down the garden path
• puts on
• defrauds
• shortchanges
• squeezes
• hustles
• diddles
• swindles
• flimflams
• chisels
• mulcts
• skins
• fleeces
• rooks
• euchres

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reveals
• exposes
• uncovers
• shows up
• unmasks
• tells
• discloses
• debunks
• undeceives
• divulges
• unveils
• uncloaks
• disillusions
• disenchants
• disabuses

6

as in consumes

to make complete use of

heedlessly burning the country's resources without any concern for future generations

Synonyms & Similar Words

• consumes
• spends
• drains
• exhausts
• absorbs
• reduces
• eats
• uses
• depletes
• devours
• expends
• runs out of
• decreases
• plays out
• draws down
• empties
• wastes
• uses up
• diminishes
• lowers
• downsizes
• weakens
• blows
• dwindles
• lessens
• undermines
• cleans (out)
• bankrupts
• debilitates
• saps
• impoverishes
• cripples
• abates
• disables
• enfeebles
• dissipates
• de-escalates
• dries up
• guzzles
• runs through
• squanders
• lavishes
• throws away
• misspends
• fritters (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increases
• replaces
• renews
• augments
• repairs
• enlarges
• reinforces
• enforces
• strengthens
• restores
• saves
• preserves
• revives
• conserves
• bolsters
• rebuilds
• fortifies

burns

2 of 2

noun

plural of burn, British

as in brooks

a natural body of running water smaller than a river

the walkers forded the shallow burn and then came upon a field of gorse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brooks
• creeks
• runs
• streams
• rills
• rivulets
• runnels
• streamlets
• tributaries
• becks
• brooklets
• canals
• washes
• bayous
• bourns
• gills
• freshets
• kills
• runlets
• sloughs
• runoffs
• arroyos
• cuts
• freshes
• races
• coulees
• waterways
• cutoffs
• watercourses
• channels
• guts
• billabongs
• branches
• distributaries
• affluents
• influents
• millstreams
• millraces
• confluents

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of burns

Verb

The rivalry burns as strong as ever, but so does the mutual respect, which survives the collisions, politics and long silences. — Daniel Gallan, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

There’s a mysterious sickness going around, apparently caused by a toxic fog that invisibly burns the skin of whoever comes into contact with it. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

The fire pit burns real wood—no propane needed—and does so without scorching the ground or creating a cloud of smoke. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 3 Sep. 2026

Some fitness enthusiasts swear that working out on an empty stomach burns more fat, while others insist that eating beforehand is essential for maximizing energy and performance. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

The living room in this one is a real standout and includes a window seat with integrated storage, along with one of those fancy hanging fireplaces that burns bioethanol. — New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026

The Monarch Compute Campus burns gas to make its own electricity on site, which means the capacity Anthropic just contracted never enters an interconnection queue at all. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Impossibly juicy to its core, the chicken is served with a clever tofu-mustard sauce that’s tangy, savory, and smooth (not unlike ranch but also definitely not ranch) and a winning, aromatic jiao chili sauce that burns with a sweet heat. — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026

When applied to weeds, vinegar burns the leaves and foliage but not the root system. — Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 22 Aug. 2026

Noun

Actors portraying patients arrived with realistic makeup and prosthetics designed to mimic blunt-force trauma, propeller injuries, burns and other emergency conditions. — Jessica Riley, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

They were treated at a local hospital for burns on their hands and were released. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Almendariz works with Cal Fire on fire education, explaining the difference between cultural burning and prescribed burns. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Once in orbit at L2, only minor burns once every 28 days are needed for station keeping — a negligible amount of fuel. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Jet fuel burns as hot as kerosene — twice as hot as wood — and firefighters battle kerosene fires every day in the basements of tenements all over the city. — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Ljubisa Karovic injured his neck and shoulder and had friction burns after the window shattered shortly after takeoff on a flight from northern Greece to Germany on July 10. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026

These burns help control its speed and position it for the final approach. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026

While dyes, burns, and chemical damage can’t be removed, wine, coffee, turmeric, berry, and tomato stains can. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026