burn

1 of 3

verb

ˈbərn 

burned ˈbərnd  ˈbərnt  or burnt ˈbərnt  ; burning; burns

intransitive verb

1

a

: to consume fuel and give off heat, light, and gases

A small fire burned on the hearth.

b

: to undergo combustion

Soft woods burn easily.

—Marc Hayot

also : to undergo nuclear fission or nuclear fusion

A constant fusion fire burns in its core, where the hydrogen atomic nuclei merge into helium.

—Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics

c

: to contain a fire

a little stove burning in the corner

d

: to give off light : shine, glow

a light burning in the window

… an incandescent light bulb burns for 3,000 hours.

—Jena Tesse Fox

e

: to use freely without limits

children with energy to burn

Whether you have money to burn or are on a tight budget, you can build an entire home gym …

—Chris Woolston

… the organization has been burning through money at an unsustainable rate for years …

—Jim Ridley

2

a

: to be hot

the burning sand

b

: to produce or undergo an uncomfortable or painful sensation like that of being injured by fire

ears burning from the cold

My tongue was burning from the hot peppers.

There was also a menacing pinprick sensation along the top of my head as my feet burned on the asphalt.

—Peter Merkl

c

: to become emotionally excited or agitated: such as

(1)

: to feel an intense desire

She was burning to tell her story.

(2)

: to be or become very angry or disgusted

The remark made him burn.

3

a

: to undergo alteration or destruction by the action of fire or heat

The house burned down.

The potatoes burned to a crisp.

b

informal : to die in the electric chair

4

: to force or make a way by or as if by burning

Her words burned into his heart.

5

: to suffer sunburn

She burns easily.

Any exposed part of your body, including your earlobes, scalp and lips, can burn.

—Laurel Kelly

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause (something) to undergo combustion

especially : to destroy (something) by fire

They burned all his letters.

b

: to use (something) as fuel

This furnace burns gas.

We used to burn wood to cook and heat all over Alaska.

—Robert Seitz

c

: to use (something) up : consume

burn calories

If Philadelphia managed a stop, they could burn a timeout and still have plenty of time for another offensive possession to respond to a potential field goal.

—Greg Wong

2

a

: to transform (something) by exposure to heat or fire

burn wood into charcoal

b

: to produce (something) by burning

burned a hole in his sleeve

c

: to record digital data or music on (an optical disc) using a laser

burn a CD

also : to record (data or music) in this way

burn songs onto a disk

… one of the most frequent ways to distribute entertainment is to burn a DVD movie onto a rewritable compact disc.

—Hugh Grant

3

a

: to injure or damage (something or someone) by or as if by exposure to fire, heat, or radiation : scorch

burned her hand

burned himself with the hot pan

… cayenne pepper will burn your eyes.

—John Green

b

: to execute (something) by burning

Heretics are no longer burned at the stake.

—Roger Scruton

c

informal : electrocute

4

a

: irritate, annoy

—often used with up

It really burns me up!

b

: to subject to misfortune, mistreatment, or deception

—often used in passive

has been burned in love

… people with more money than sense are going to get burned.

—Stuart Jeffries

c

: to beat or score on

burned the defense with a touchdown pass

It's a way of saying we're going to burn the other team at the game …

—Zaimarie De Guzman

burnable

ˈbər-nə-bəl 

adjective

removed all the burnable material

burnable CDs

burn

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural burns

1

: an act, process, instance, or result of burning: such as

a

: injury or damage resulting from exposure to fire, heat, caustics, electricity, or certain radiations

b

: a burned area

a burn on the tabletop

c

: an abrasion (as of the skin) having the appearance of a burn

rope burns

d

: a burning sensation

the burn of iodine on a cut

2

: the firing of a rocket engine in flight

3

: anger

especially : increasing fury

—used chiefly in the phrase slow burn

4

slang : a cutting remark intended to embarrass or humiliate someone

—used chiefly in the phrase sick burn

But plenty of us peasants know the feeling: We have stared down an unraveling romantic relationship and wanted desperately to spew one more sick burn or two about a now-former partner.

—Alana Massey

During a lecture on conservatism at an Ivy League university, a 65-year-old guest speaker delivered a sick burn to the president of the United States.

—Amanda Arnold

burn

3 of 3

noun (2)

British

: creek sense 1

Phrases

burn one's bridges or less commonly burn one's boats

: to cut off all means of retreat

burn one's ears

: to rebuke strongly

burn the candle at both ends

: to use one's resources or energies to excess

burn the midnight oil

: to work or study far into the night

Synonyms

Verb

• blaze
• combust
• flame
• glow

Noun (2)

• beck [British]
• bourn
• bourne
• brook
• brooklet
• creek
• gill [British]
• rill
• rivulet
• run [chiefly Midland]
• runlet
• runnel
• streamlet

Examples of burn in a Sentence

Verb

A flame is kept constantly burning at the monument.

A small fire burned brightly in the fireplace.

There was a little stove burning in the front room.

I could smell smoke and knew that something was burning.

Be sure not to leave any candles burning when you go to bed.

I burned the letter when I had finished reading it.

The new town law makes it illegal to burn trash.

The wildfire has burned acres of forest.

Parts of the house were badly burned in the fire.

a material that burns easily

Noun (2)

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea. —Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second. —Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023

Noun

Exposure to a large amount at once on the skin can cause irritation, blisters and burns. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West, suffered significant burn injuries when the smoke and fire effects caught aflame during her entrance scene. —Legal Entertainment, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English birnen, from Old English byrnan, intransitive verb, bærnan, transitive verb; akin to Old High German brinnan to burn

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German brunno spring of water

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2c

Noun (1)

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing burn

• burn alive
• burn away
• burn down
• burn fat
• burn in
• burn off
• burn oneself
• burn out
• burn rubber
• burn through
• burn to a cinder
• burn to death
• burn up
• crash and burn
• do a slow burn
• first-degree burn
• freezer burn
• hang/burn in effigy
• money to burn
• second-degree burn
• slash-and-burn
• third-degree burn

Kids Definition

burn

1 of 2 verb

ˈbərn 

burned

ˈbərnd,

ˈbərnt

or burnt

ˈbərnt

; burning

1

: to be or set on fire

2

a

: to feel hot or inflamed

the burning sand

b

: to become excited

burn with anger

c

: scorch entry 1 sense 1

burned the toast

d

: to appear as if on fire : glow

leave a light burning in the window

e

: to destroy by fire

burn trash

f

: to use as fuel

this furnace burns gas

your body burns food

3

a

: to produce by the action of fire or heat

burn a hole in the rug

b

: to record data or music on a disk using a laser

burn a CD

4

: to injure or change by or as if by fire or heat

burn out a bearing

5

: to suffer sunburn

she burns easily

burnable

ˈbər-nə-bəl

adjective

burningly

-niŋ-lē

adverb

burn

2 of 2 noun

: injury, damage, or effect produced by or as if by burning

Medical Definition

burn

1 of 2 verb

ˈbərn 

burned ˈbərnd  ˈbərnt  or burnt ˈbərnt  ; burning

intransitive verb

1

: to produce or undergo discomfort or pain

iodine burns so

ears burning from the cold

2

: to become reddened or irritated by or as if by exposure to sun or wind

she burns easily

transitive verb

1

: to injure or damage by exposure to fire, heat, or radiation

burned his hand

2

: to break down and use as a source of energy

burn calories during exercise

burn

2 of 2 noun

1

: bodily injury resulting from exposure to heat, caustics, electricity, or some radiations, marked by varying degrees of skin destruction and hyperemia often with the formation of watery blisters and in severe cases by charring of the tissues, and classified according to the extent and degree of the injury see first-degree burn, second-degree burn, third-degree burn

2

: an abrasion having the appearance of a burn

friction burns

cold burn

3

: a burning sensation

the burn of iodine applied to a cut