1
as in to glow
to be on fire especially brightly
all evening long we just sat there, contentedly watching the Yule log burn
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2
as in to scorch
to set (something) on fire
it is not a good idea to try to burn old papers in the sink
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
he came home burning with anger because of a reprimand at work
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4
as in to flame
to shine with a bright harsh light
the bright streetlight outside our motel room burned all night long
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5
as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
he's been burned before, so he's careful to double-check such claims now
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6
as in to consume
to make complete use of
heedlessly burning the country's resources without any concern for future generations
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in brook
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
the walkers forded the shallow burn and then came upon a field of gorse
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of burn
Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023
William Lucas, 8, survived after Tonya Lucas’ boyfriend at the time rescued him from the burning home.
—Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 12 Sep. 2023
Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Serrano set Larsen on fire, leaving him with burns to 16% of his body, prosecutors said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for burn 
Verb
Such interactions can light a fuse that may burn throughout a school year, only to erupt when students arrive for a new semester driving their parents’ car.
—Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023
William Lucas, 8, survived after Tonya Lucas’ boyfriend at the time rescued him from the burning home.
—Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 12 Sep. 2023
Noun
Advertisement In Santa Monica, doctors at the emergency department at Providence Saint John’s Health Center treated patients suffering from smoke inhalation, eye irritation and minor burns.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Serrano set Larsen on fire, leaving him with burns to 16% of his body, prosecutors said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for burn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burn
Verb
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In some shots, embers can still be seen glowing amid the wreckage.Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
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His second story collection, Chemical Valley, won the Alistair MacLeod Short Fiction Prize, received glowing reviews, and was a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the ReLit Award.Nicola Davison, Hazlitt, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Eaton Fire, which sparked Tuesday near Pasadena, had scorched a total of 13,690 acres and damaged at least 5,000 buildings as of Friday afternoon.Kendrick Marshall, Sacramento Bee, 11 Jan. 2025
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As the worst disaster raged around them, hired hands kept working to pay the bills Jan. 9, 2025 By Thursday, neighborhoods still smoldered for miles up and down the Pacific Coast Highway, more than 5,000 homes and businesses scorched.Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Verb
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On that day, a Soviet Navy submarine called K-129 attached to the 15th Submarine Squadron of the Soviet Pacific Fleet steamed out of Rybachiy Naval Base in Kamchatka on a routine patrol that ended up being anything but routine.David Szondy, New Atlas, 4 Jan. 2025
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The data shows that 2024 steamed to one of the warmest years on record across the continental United States from coast to coast.Martin E. Comas, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Fierce winds grounded helicopters and other aircraft during the crucial early hours after several blazes started, exploding their size and spreading embers like flaming confetti for miles around.Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
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The Hurst fire flaming in Sylmar, is continuing to rapidly spread and remains 0% contained.Solcyré Burga, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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These include data poisoning, where training datasets are manipulated to compromise models, and adversarial attacks, which involve subtle input changes to deceive AI systems.Piyush Ranjan, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
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And unless my eyes deceive me, the shine is turned up to 11 thanks to shimmer in her middle part.Marci Robin, Allure, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Of course, rules to reduce nicotine in cigarettes would have no impact on nicotine in e-cigarettes, which have largely replaced combustible tobacco as one of the main ways young people now consume nicotine.Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 15 Jan. 2025
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And the reach of all these different channels combined is really critical because people are consuming their news in a lot of different ways, not just watching a linear broadcast but across social media and all these streaming channels.Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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On July 18, 2019, a Cheshire resident with property abutting Cuff Brook observed dead fish and discolored water with an oily sheen in the brook and smelled a chemical odor similar to lighter fluid, officials said.Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2025
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At about ten o’clock that night, the bridge finally fell into the brook, but the truck did not follow, and was hauled to safety by a wrecker.Gary Greenberg, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Advertisement All seven main engines fired at liftoff as the rocket blazed through the predawn sky to the delight of spectators lining nearby beaches.Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
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Federal response teams are combatting the Los Angeles fires blazing across hundreds of acres, which have forced thousands to evacuate from their homes.The Hill, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burn. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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