verb (used without object),burned or burnt,burn·ing.
to undergo rapid combustion or consume fuel in such a way as to give off heat, gases, and, usually, light; be on fire: The fire burned in the grate.
(of a fireplace, furnace, etc.) to contain a fire.
to feel heat or a physiologically similar sensation; feel pain from or as if from a fire:The wound burned and throbbed.
to give off light or to glow brightly: The lights in the house burned all night.
to give off heat or be hot: The pavement burned in the noon sun.
to produce pain or a stinging sensation similar to that of fire; cause to smart: The whiskey burned in his throat.
Games. to be extremely close to finding a concealed object or guessing an answer.
to feel extreme anger: When she said I was rude, I really burned.
to feel strong emotion or passion: He burned with desire.
Chemistry.
to undergo combustion, either fast or slow; oxidize.
to undergo fission or fusion.
to become charred or overcooked by heat: The steak burned around the edges.
to receive a sunburn: She burns easily and has to stay in the shade.
to be damned: You may burn for that sin.
Slang. to die in an electric chair: The murderer was sentenced to burn.
to be engraved by or as if by burning: His words burned into her heart.
verb (used with object),burned or burnt,burn·ing.
to cause to undergo combustion or be consumed partly or wholly by fire.
to use as fuel or as a source of light: He burned coal to heat the house.
to cause to feel the sensation of heat.
to overcook or char: I almost burned the roast.
to sunburn.
to injure, endanger, or damage with or as if with fire: Look out, you'll burn yourself!
to execute by burning: The heretic was burned at the stake.
to subject to fire or treat with heat as a process of manufacturing.
to produce with or as if with fire: She burned a hole in her dress.
to cause sharp pain or a stinging sensation: The iodine burned his cut.
to consume rapidly, especially to squander: He burned energy as if he never heard of resting.
Slang. to suffer losses or be disillusioned in business or social relationships: She was burned by that phony stock deal.
Slang. to cheat or rob.
Digital Technology. to copy or write data to (an optical disk): She burned a CD of their favorite songs.Compare rip1 (def. 4).
Chemistry. to cause to undergo combustion; oxidize.
to damage through excessive friction, as in grinding or machining; scorch.
Metallurgy. to oxidize (a steel ingot), as with a flame.
British. to scald (a wine, especially sherry) in an iron container over a fire.
Cards. to put (a played or rejected card) face up at the bottom of the pack.
Slang. to disclose the identity of (an undercover agent, law officer, etc.): to burn a narcotics detective.
noun
a burned place or area: a burn where fire had ripped through the forest.
Pathology. an injury usually caused by heat but also by abnormal cold, chemicals, poison gas, electricity, or lightning, and characterized by a painful reddening and swelling of the epidermis (first-degree burn ), damage extending into the dermis, usually with blistering (second-degree burn ), or destruction of the epidermis and dermis extending into the deeper tissue with loss of pain receptors (third-degree burn ).
slow burn.
the process or an instance of burning or baking, as in brickmaking.
a forest or brush fire.
the firing of a rocket engine.
Usually the burn . a burning sensation felt in the muscles during intense exercise: Repeat the sit-ups till you feel the burn in your lower abs.
Slang. a swindle.
Verb Phrases
burn down,to burn to the ground: That barn was struck by lightning and burned down.
burn in,Photography. (in printing) to expose (one part of an image) to more light by masking the other parts in order to darken and give greater detail to the unmasked area.Also print in. Compare dodge (def. 2).
burn off,(of morning mist) to be dissipated by the warmth of the rising sun.
burn on,to weld lead with lead.
burn one up,Informal. to incite to anger: That attitude burns me up.
burn out,
to cease functioning because something has been exhausted or burned up, as fuel or a filament: Our light bulbs burned out.
to deprive of a place to live, work, etc., by reason of fire: They were burned out and had to live with relatives.
to wear out; exhaust; be worn out; become exhausted.
burn up,
to burn completely or utterly: The papers burned up in a minute.
Informal.to become angry: He burns up at the mention of her name.
burn oneself out, to exhaust one's energy, ideas, etc., through overwork or intemperance: They feared that he would burn himself out or break down.
burn the midnight oil, to work, study,etc., until late at night: to burn the midnight oil before final exams.
burn the / one's candle at both ends, to be excessively active or immoderate, as by leading an active social life by night and a busy work life by day: You can't burn the candle at both ends and hold onto a job.
Origin of burn
1
First recorded before 900; Middle English bernen, brennen, Old English beornan (intransitive), (cognate with Gothic, Old High German brinnan ), and Old English bærnan (transitive), (cognate with Gothic brannjan, Old High German brennen )
SYNONYMS FOR burn
1 flame.
3 tingle, glow.
16 char, toast, brown, tan.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR burn ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for burn
16. Burn,scorch,sear,singe refer to the effect of fire or heat. To burn is to consume, wholly or in part, by contact with fire or excessive heat: to burn leaves.Scorch implies superficial or slight burning, resulting in a change of color or in injury to the texture because of shriveling or curling: to scorch a dress while ironing.Sear refers especially to the drying or hardening caused by heat: to sear a roast of meat.Singe applies especially to a superficial burning that takes off ends or projections: to singe hair; singe the pinfeathers from a chicken.
Burma Road, Burmese, Burmese cat, Burmese glass, Burmese jade, burn, Burnaby, burn at the stake, burn bag, burn center, burn down
Definition for burn (2 of 2)
burn2
[ burn ]
/ bɜrn /
nounScot.and North England.
a brook or rivulet.
Also bourn, bourne.
Origin of burn
2
before 900; Middle English burne, bourne,Old English burna, brunna brook; cognate with Gothic brunna,Dutch born, bron,German Brunnen,Old Norse brunnr spring
Fuel spilled by a tanker burns in the Cuyahoga River on August 25th.
51 Years Later, the Cuyahoga River Burns Again|Wes Siler|August 28, 2020|Outside Online
There are just so many reasons not to pick up the drip torch and start a prescribed burn even though it’s the safe, smart thing to do.
They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?|by Elizabeth Weil|August 28, 2020|ProPublica
Burn bosses in California can more easily be held liable than their peers in some other states if the wind comes up and their burn goes awry.
They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?|by Elizabeth Weil|August 28, 2020|ProPublica
California, of course, uses aircraft—it has both its own fleet and can employ contractors—to mount full-court presses on fires, but the practice is certainly not limited to combating burns in the Golden State.
How aerial firefighters battle blazes from the skies|Rob Verger|August 27, 2020|Popular Science
The battery, she alleged, exploded and left her with severe burns.
Amazon’s days of dodging liability for its marketplace could be numbered|Marc Bain|August 14, 2020|Quartz
Related: Infographic: How Much Exercise It Takes to Burn Off Thanksgiving Dinner 6.
12 Thanksgiving Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work|DailyBurn|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Soon, though, voices from off camera begin shouting for retribution, not justice, chanting “Burn this b**** down.”
Michael Brown’s Stepfather Tells Crowd, ‘Burn This Bitch Down’|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They not only kill soldiers in battle, they behead them and burn them.
Iraqi Soldiers Bribe Officers So They Don't Have to Fight ISIS|Niqash|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How to make them burn, naked bodies, how to make them catch?
How Hitch & Amis Discovered Evil In My House|Peter Foges|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Be a good citizen, and heaven awaits; fail to convert and lead a moral life, burn in hell.
Americans’ Burning Obsession With Hell|William O’Connor|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It orders its servants to lay aside pity and burn peasants in their homes, to bayonet women and children, to shoot old men.
Golden Lads|Arthur Gleason and Helen Hayes Gleason
Fool, to that body to return Where it condemned and destined is to burn!
Lives of the English Poets: Waller, Milton, Cowley|Samuel Johnson
What wife, what maid did not yearn for you absent, and burn when you were present?
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
For fear, then, you should fancy to burn the eighth, I'll wish you good-evening!
In the Days of My Youth|Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards
Do not forget to take two or three candles, and replenish your stock if you burn them: they sometimes are a prime necessity.
How to Camp Out|John M. Gould
British Dictionary definitions for burn (1 of 2)
burn1
/ (bɜːn) /
verbburns, burning, burntorburned
to undergo or cause to undergo combustion
to destroy or be destroyed by fire
(tr)to damage, injure, or mark by heathe burnt his hand; she was burnt by the sun
to die or put to death by fireto burn at the stake
(intr)to be or feel hotmy forehead burns
to smart or cause to smartbrandy burns one's throat
(intr)to feel strong emotion, esp anger or passion
(tr)to use for the purposes of light, heat, or powerto burn coal
(tr)to form by or as if by fireto burn a hole
to char or become charredthe potatoes are burning in the saucepan
(tr)to brand or cauterize
(tr)to cut (metal) with an oxygen-rich flame
to produce by or subject to heat as part of a processto burn charcoal
(tr)to copy information onto (a CD-ROM)
astronomyto convert (a lighter element) to a heavier one by nuclear fusion in a starto burn hydrogen
cards, mainlyBritishto discard or exchange (one or more useless cards)
(tr; usually passive)informalto cheat, esp financially
slang, mainlyUSto electrocute or be electrocuted
(tr)Australianslangto drive fast (esp in the phrase go for a burn)
burn one's bridgesorburn one's boatsto commit oneself to a particular course of action with no possibility of turning back
burn the candle at both ends See candle (def. 3)
burn one's fingersto suffer from having meddled or been rash
noun
an injury caused by exposure to heat, electrical, chemical, or radioactive agents. Burns are classified according to the depth of tissue affected: first-degree burn : skin surface painful and red; second-degree burn : blisters appear on the skin; third-degree burn : destruction of both epidermis and dermis
a mark, e.g. on wood, caused by burning
a controlled use of rocket propellant, esp for a course correction
a hot painful sensation in a muscle, experienced during vigorous exercisego for the burn!
Australian and NZa controlled fire to clear an area of scrub
slangtobacco or a cigarette
See also burn in, burn off, burn out
Word Origin for burn
Old English beornan (intr), bærnan (tr); related to Old Norse brenna (tr or intr), Gothic brinnan (intr), Latin fervēre to boil, seethe
British Dictionary definitions for burn (2 of 2)
burn2
/ (bɜːn, Scottishbʌrn) /
noun
Scot and Northern Englisha small stream; brook
Word Origin for burn
Old English burna; related to Old Norse brunnr spring, Old High German brunno, Lithuanian briáutis to burst forth
To be on fire; undergo combustion. A substance burns if it is heated up enough to react chemically with oxygen.
To cause a burn to a bodily tissue.
Noun
Tissue injury caused by fire, heat, radiation (such as sun exposure), electricity, or a caustic chemical agent. Burns are classified according to the degree of tissue damage, which can include redness, blisters, skin edema and loss of sensation. Bacterial infection is a serious and sometimes fatal complication of severe burns.