burn 1
(bûrn)v. burned or burnt (bûrnt), burn·ing, burns
v.intr.1. To undergo combustion or be consumed as fuel: The dry wood burned quickly.
2. To be damaged, injured, or destroyed by fire, heat, radiation, electricity, or a caustic agent: a house that burned to the ground; eggs that burned and stuck to the pan.
3. To consume fuel: a rocket stage designed to burn for three minutes before being jettisoned.
4. a. To emit heat or light by fire or energy: campfires burning in the dark; lights burning in the windows.
b. To become dissipated or be dispelled: The fog burned off as the sun came up. Their anger burned away in time.
5. a. To suffer death or punishment by fire: souls burning in hell.
b. To be electrocuted.
6. a. To be very hot; bake: a desert burning under the midday sun.
b. To feel or look hot: a child burning with fever.
c. To impart a sensation of heat: a liniment that burns when first applied.
7. a. To penetrate something by intense heat, energy, or caustic effect: The acid burned into the table.
b. To cause a strong impression, especially by emotional intensity: a look that burned into them; shame burning into my heart.
8. a. To become irritated or painful, as by chafing or inflammation: eyes burning from the smoke.
b. To become sunburned or windburned.
9. To be consumed with strong emotion, especially:
a. To be or become angry: an insult that really made me burn.
b. To be very eager: was burning with ambition.
v.tr.1. a. To cause to undergo combustion, especially to the point of destruction: We burned the scrap wood in the fireplace.
b. To consume (fuel or energy, for example): burned all the wood that winter.
2. a. To use as a fuel: a furnace that burns coal.
b. To metabolize (glucose, for example) in the body.
3. To damage or injure by fire, heat, radiation, electricity, or a caustic agent: burned the toast; burned my skin with the acid.
4. a. To make or produce by fire or heat: burn a hole in the rug.
b. To dispel or dissipate, as by heat: The sun burned off the fog. Resentments that burned away their tender feelings.
5. a. To execute or kill with fire: burning heretics at the stake.
b. To execute by electrocution.
6. a. To irritate or inflame, as by chafing or sunburn.
b. To impart a sensation of intense heat to: The chili burned my mouth.
c. To make angry: What really burns me is his arrogance.
7. To brand (an animal).
8. a. To engrave or make indelible by burning: burned his initials into the wood.
b. To cause to be felt or remembered because of emotional intensity: The image of the accident was burned into my memory.
9. To harden or impart a finish to by subjecting to intense heat; fire: burn clay pots in a kiln.
10. a. To defeat in a contest, especially by a narrow margin.
b. Sports To outplay or score on (an opponent), especially through quick or deceptive movement.
c. To inflict harm or hardship on; hurt: "Huge loan losses have burned banks in recent years" (Christian Science Monitor).
d. To swindle or deceive; cheat: We really got burned on the used car we bought.
11. a. To write data onto (an optical disc).
b. To write (data) onto an optical disc.
n.1. An injury produced by fire, heat, radiation, electricity, or a caustic agent.
2. A burned place or area: a cigarette burn in the tablecloth.
3. An act, process, or result of burning: The fire settled down to a steady burn.
4. A sensation of intense heat, stinging pain, or irritation: a chili burn on the tongue; the burn of alcohol on an open wound.
5. A sunburn or windburn.
Phrasal Verbs: burn out1. To stop burning from lack of fuel: The campfire eventually burned out.
2. To wear out or make or become inoperative as a result of heat or friction: The short circuit burned out the fuse. The computer's motherboard burned out.
3. To make or become exhausted, especially as a result of long-term stress: "Hours are long, stress is high, and many recruits drop out or burn out" (Robert J. Samuelson).
4. To cause (someone) to have to evacuate an area or building because of fire: The shopkeeper was burned out by arsonists.
burn up1. To make angry: Their rudeness really burns me up.
2. To travel over or through at high speed: drag racers burning up the track.
Idioms: burn itself out To stop burning from lack of fuel: The brush fire finally burned itself out.
burn (one's) bridges To eliminate the possibility of return or retreat.
burn the/one's candle at both ends To exhaust oneself or one's resources by leading a hectic or extravagant life.
burn the midnight oil To work or study very late at night.
to burn In great amounts: They had money to burn.
[Middle English
burnen, from Old English
beornan,
to be on fire, and from
bærnan,
to set on fire; see
gwher- in
Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: burn1, scorch, singe, sear1, char1
These verbs mean to injure or alter by means of intense heat or flames. Burn, the most general, applies to the effects of exposure to a source of heat or to something that can produce a similar effect: burned the muffins in the oven; skin burned by the wind and sun. Scorch involves superficial burning that discolors or damages the texture of something: scorched the shirt with the iron. Singe specifies superficial burning and especially the removal of hair or feathers from a carcass before cooking: singed his finger lighting the match; plucked and singed the chicken before roasting it. Sear applies to rapid superficial burning using high heat: seared the meat in a hot skillet. To char is to reduce a substance to carbon or charcoal by partial burning: trees charred by the forest fire.
burn 2
(bûrn)n. Scots A small stream; a brook.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
burn
(bɜːn) vb,
burns,
burning,
burnt or burned1. (Chemistry) to undergo or cause to undergo combustion
2. to destroy or be destroyed by fire
3. (tr) to damage, injure, or mark by heat: he burnt his hand; she was burnt by the sun.
4. to die or put to death by fire: to burn at the stake.
5. (intr) to be or feel hot: my forehead burns.
6. to smart or cause to smart: brandy burns one's throat.
7. (intr) to feel strong emotion, esp anger or passion
8. (tr) to use for the purposes of light, heat, or power: to burn coal.
9. (tr) to form by or as if by fire: to burn a hole.
10. to char or become charred: the potatoes are burning in the saucepan.
11. (tr) to brand or cauterize
12. (General Engineering) (tr) to cut (metal) with an oxygen-rich flame
13. (Chemistry) to produce by or subject to heat as part of a process: to burn charcoal.
14. (Computer Science) (tr) to copy information onto (a CD-ROM)
15. (Nuclear Physics) astronomy to convert (a lighter element) to a heavier one by nuclear fusion in a star: to burn hydrogen.
16. (Card Games) cards chiefly Brit to discard or exchange (one or more useless cards)
17. (tr; usually passive) informal to cheat, esp financially
18. slang chiefly US to electrocute or be electrocuted
19. (tr) slang Austral to drive (a vehicle) fast
20. burn one's bridges burn one's boats to commit oneself to a particular course of action with no possibility of turning back
21. burn the candle at both ends See
candle3 22. burn one's fingers to suffer from having meddled or been rash
n23. (Pathology) 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
24. a mark, e.g. on wood, caused by burning
25. (Astronautics) a controlled use of rocket propellant, esp for a course correction
26. (Physiology) a hot painful sensation in a muscle, experienced during vigorous exercise: go for the burn!.
27. (Forestry) Austral and NZ a controlled fire to clear an area of scrub
28. slang tobacco or a cigarette
[Old English beornan (intr), bærnan (tr); related to Old Norse brenna (tr or intr), Gothic brinnan (intr), Latin fervēre to boil, seethe]
burn
(bɜːn; Scottish bʌrn) n (Physical Geography) Scot and Northern English a small stream; brook
[Old English burna; related to Old Norse brunnr spring, Old High German brunno, Lithuanian briáutis to burst forth]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
burn1
(bɜrn)
v. burned burnt, burn•ing, v.i. 1. to consume fuel and give off heat, gases, and usu. light; be on fire.
2. a. to undergo combustion; oxidize.
b. to undergo fission or fusion.
3. (of a fireplace, furnace, etc.) to contain a fire.
4. to give off light; glow brightly: The lights burned all night.
5. to be hot: The pavement burned in the noon sun.
6. to produce or feel sharp pain or a stinging sensation: The whiskey burned in his throat.
7. to be injured, damaged, scorched, or destroyed by fire, heat, or acid.
8. to feel extreme anger.
9. to feel strong emotion: to burn with desire.
10. to sunburn.
11. Slang. to die in an electric chair.
12. to be engraved by or as if by burning: His words burned into her heart.
v.t. 13. to cause to undergo combustion or be consumed partly or wholly by fire.
14. to use as fuel or as a source of light: to burn coal.
15. to sunburn.
16. to injure, damage, scorch, or destroy with or as if with fire.
17. to execute by burning at the stake.
18. to produce with or as if with fire: to burn a hole.
19. to cause sharp pain or a stinging sensation in: The iodine burned his cut.
20. Slang. to cheat, deceive, or swindle: burned by a phony stock deal.
21. to record data on (a compact disc).
22. burn down, to burn to the ground.
23. burn in, a. (in printing from a photographic negative) to expose (parts of an image) to more light for increased density.
b. to run (a new computer or other electronic system) continuously for several hours or days, as a test of quality before delivery to the purchaser.
24. burn off, (of morning mist) to be dissipated by the warmth of the rising sun.
25. burn out, a. to cease operating or functioning because of heat, friction, or lack of fuel.
b. to deprive of a place to live, work, etc., by reason of fire.
c. to exhaust (oneself) or become exhausted or apathetic through overwork, stress, or intense activity.
26. burn up, a. to burn completely.
b. Informal. to make or become angry.
n. 27. a burned place or area.
28. an injury caused by heat, abnormal cold, chemicals, poison gas, or electricity, and characterized by a painful reddening and swelling of the epidermis (
first-degree burn), damage extending into the dermis, usu. with blistering (
second-degree burn), or destruction of the epidermis and dermis extending into the deeper tissue (
third-degree burn).
29. the process or an instance of burning or baking, as in brickmaking.
30. the firing of a rocket engine.
31. Slang. a swindle.
Idioms: 1. burn one's fingers, to suffer injury or loss by meddling or by acting rashly.
2. burn the candle at both ends, to use up one's strength or energy by immoderation.
3. burn the midnight oil, to work, study, etc., until late at night.
[before 900; Middle English bernen, brennen, Old English beornan (intrans.)]
burn′a•ble, adj.
burn2
(bɜrn)
n. Scot. a brook or rivulet.
[before 900; Middle English b(o)urne, Old English burna, brunna brook]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.