burn down
phrasal verb
burned down or burnt down; burning down; burns down
1
of a building or other structure
: to be destroyed by fire
The hotel burned down in 1922.
2
of a fire
: to become smaller : to gradually produce less and less flame
We watched the fire as it slowly burned down.
3
: to destroy (something) by fire
Vandals burned down the school.
burned it down
Examples of burn down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The case against Hartsfield began shortly after his truck burned down in a parking lot on Amour Street on Oct. 3, 2021.
—
Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024
Henry's government declared a state of emergency more than a week ago after gangs attacked the country’s largest prison in Port-au-Prince, allowing about 3,500 inmates to escape, burned down police stations and sought to take control of the airport.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning.
—Greg Norman, Fox News, 11 Mar. 2024
Jim Anderson's Ranch before it was burned down by wildfires this week.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2024
The passenger station burned down in 1904, and the freight depot suffered the same fate four years later.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2024
Last week, gangs burned down many of the police stations in the capital and moved into the port through which much of the country’s food is imported.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024
Gangs then burned down a police station near the airport, where flights have been suspended.
—Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
The original construction was built of mostly wood and burned down around 100 years after its construction.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024
Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024
Henry's government declared a state of emergency more than a week ago after gangs attacked the country’s largest prison in Port-au-Prince, allowing about 3,500 inmates to escape, burned down police stations and sought to take control of the airport.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning.
—Greg Norman, Fox News, 11 Mar. 2024
Jim Anderson's Ranch before it was burned down by wildfires this week.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2024
The passenger station burned down in 1904, and the freight depot suffered the same fate four years later.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2024
Last week, gangs burned down many of the police stations in the capital and moved into the port through which much of the country’s food is imported.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024
Gangs then burned down a police station near the airport, where flights have been suspended.
—Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
The original construction was built of mostly wood and burned down around 100 years after its construction.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'burn down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Burn down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burn%20down. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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