burner

noun

burn·​er ˈbər-nər How to pronounce burner (audio)
plural burners
1
: one that burns: such as
a
: the part of a fuel-burning or heat-producing device (such as a furnace or stove) where the flame or heat is produced
b
: a device for recording data on an optical disk
2
: an athlete who possesses great speed
3
: burner phone
… I leaned over and checked the glove box. There were two cell phones in there, both pre-paid burners with a set number of pre-paid minutes, both still in their drugstore packaging, effectively untraceable if bought with cash …Lee Child
4
medical : stinger sense 4
He missed two games late in the season because of what athletic trainers call "cervical burners," a fairly appropriate description of the pain that would originate in Wadsworth's neck and shoot down his body.Emily Dorman

see also burner account

Examples of burner in a Sentence

The burner on the furnace isn't working. The computer comes equipped with a CD burner.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Investigators determined that Eckley had purchased that vehicle under an alias, used a burner cellphone and paid cash for it. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024 Cleaning your stovetop can be a pain, especially when food has caked onto the burners. Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2024 If your burners haven’t soaked for a full 10 minutes yet, go ahead and commit a few more minutes to cleaning out your toaster’s crumb tray. Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024 So in a climate where the burner is dim indeed, and where some of us turn into poptimists partly because there is no viable rock alternative, a show like one of these can keep your gas flame lit for a whole ‘nother year all by itself. Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for burner 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of burner was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near burner

Cite this Entry

“Burner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burner. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

burner

noun
burn·​er ˈbər-nər How to pronounce burner (audio)
: one that burns: as
a
: the part of a fuel-burning or heat-producing device (as a furnace or stove) where a flame or heat is produced
b
: a device for recording data on an optical disk

Medical Definition

burner

noun
burn·​er ˈbər-nər How to pronounce burner (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on burner

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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