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
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
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics
c
: to contain a fire
a little stove burning in the corner
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
Chris Woolston… the organization has been burning through money at an unsustainable rate for years …—Jim Ridley
Jim Ridley2
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
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
Laurel Kelly1
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
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
Greg Wong2
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
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
John Green
b
: to execute (something) by burning
Heretics are no longer burned at the stake.—Roger Scruton
Roger Scruton
c
informal
: electrocute
4
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
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
Zaimarie De Guzman
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
Alana MasseyDuring 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
Amanda Arnold
British
Synonyms
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
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
Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
This non-toxic soy candle burns for up to 45 hours and comes with a decorative lid for snuffing out the flame, too.
—Christina Shepherd McGuire, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for burn 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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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
The village is part of the Town of Warwick, which said in a statement that voluntary evacuations were in effect for residents along one road, power was shut off as a precaution during a prescribed burn, and another key road was restricted to a single lane for residents.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
This non-toxic soy candle burns for up to 45 hours and comes with a decorative lid for snuffing out the flame, too.
—Christina Shepherd McGuire, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for burn
Articles Related to burn
Dictionary Entries Near burn
Cite this Entry
“Burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burn. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
burn
1 of 2 verb
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
adjective
ˈbər-nə-bəl
burningly
adverb
-niŋ-lē
burn
2 of 2 noun
: injury, damage, or effect produced by or as if by burning
Medical Definition
burn
1 of 2 verb1
: 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
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 noun1
: 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
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