burn down
phrasal verb
burned down or burnt down; burning down; burns down
1
of a building or other structure
: to be destroyed by fire
The hotel burned down in 1922.
2
of a fire
: to become smaller : to gradually produce less and less flame
We watched the fire as it slowly burned down.
3
: to destroy (something) by fire
Vandals burned down the school.
burned it down
Examples of burn down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ricki Lake's home has tragically burned down in the L.A. fires.
—
Shyla Watson, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025
And there was more grim news, this time from Shana’s client: Her home had burned down.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
The fires are the city’s most destructive to date: More than 2,000 structures have burnt down, including homes, businesses and historic buildings.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
Palomino and her mother are among those whose houses burned down.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for burn down 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Shyla Watson, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025
And there was more grim news, this time from Shana’s client: Her home had burned down.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
The fires are the city’s most destructive to date: More than 2,000 structures have burnt down, including homes, businesses and historic buildings.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
Palomino and her mother are among those whose houses burned down.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for burn down
Dictionary Entries Near burn down
Cite this Entry
“Burn down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burn%20down. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share