Definition of burn - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
light sourceintr. emit light or heatintr.
- The lamp burned brightly in the dark room..
2.
destructiontr./intr. consume by fire or flamestr./intr.
- The logs burn brightly in the fireplace.
3.
injurytr./intr. injure with heat or chemicalstr./intr.
- She burned her hand on the stove.
4.
cookingtr./intr. overheat to the point of being unusabletr./intr.
- The engine burned out after the long drive.
5.
emotionintr. feel hot due to embarrassmentintr.
- His face burned with shame.
6.
- He burned his friend by revealing the secret.
7.
technologytr. Dated write data to a storage mediumtr. Dated
- I need to burn these files onto a CD.
Noun
1.
medicalinjury caused by heat or chemicals
- He suffered a burn from the hot stove.
2.
fireact of burning something with fire
- The burn of the old papers was quick.
3.
technologyDated writing data to a storage mediumDated
- The burn of the CD took a few minutes.
4.
emotionintense non-physical sting from shame or insult
- His comment was a real burn.
5.
watercourseUK small stream or brookUK
- We crossed a burn on our hike.
6.
landTECH. UK controlled fire to clear scrubTECH. UK
- The forest service conducted a burn to prevent wildfires.
7.
aerospaceTECH. firing of spacecraft's rocketsTECH.
- The burn adjusted the satellite's orbit.
Images of burn

small stream or brook
Expressions with burn
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be completely consumed by fire
The house began to burn down after the lightning strike.
use energy, especially through exercise
He goes for a run to burn off the extra calories..
catch fire and burn until destroyed
The paper will burn up if you light it.
destroy relationships or connections permanently
He didn't want to burn bridges with his former employer.
use up physical energy through activity
Children need to burn off energy by playing outside.
tire due to overwork
She will burn out if she doesn't rest.
do something that makes going back impossible
Don't burn your bridges by insulting the team before you resign.
lots of energy to use
After a good night's sleep, she had energy to burn.
experience muscle burning during intense exercise
Push harder and feel the burn in your legs!
facing difficulty or discomfort in a task
He was feeling the burn during the final exam.
having much more money than needed for living
He has money to burn after his big promotion.
slowly developing anger or annoyance
He did a slow burn as he realized he had been cheated..
severely criticize or punish publicly
The media burned the politician at the stake for his actions.
disposable phone used for anonymity and privacy
He used a burn phone to make the secret call.
eliminate any possibility of going back
They burned the boats by selling their house and moving abroad.
feel intense embarrassment or humiliation
She burned with shame after forgetting her lines.
commit to a course of action
If you burn your boats now, there’s no easy return to your old job.
cause money to be spent quickly
The cash seemed to burn a hole in his pocket.
spend the afterlife suffering in hell
They believed the traitor would burn in hell.
suffer consequences from a mistake or risk
He burned his finger investing in that company.
suffer unpleasant results of an action
He burned his fingers by investing in the risky venture.
become very tired from overwork
She will burn herself out if she doesn't take a break soon.
accelerate rapidly leaving tire marks on the road
The sports car burned rubber as it sped away.
do too much work and get very tired
She often burns the candle at both ends.
Origin of burn
Old English, byrnan (to burn)
Terms with burn included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
ignite
start a fire or make something burn
extinguish
cease to burn or shine
burn brightly
burn with a bright, flickering light
natural repair
repair naturally, as a wound or burn
fire
burn with bright flames
ignite
start to burn or burst into flames
burning
begin to burn suddenly and intensely
safety rules
used to say a place could burn and block escape
fire
ignite something causing it to burn
waste
outdoor fire to burn unwanted items
burning
burn something until it becomes charcoal
cooking
burn slightly affecting the color
light
burn brightly or suddenly
start burning
begin to burn or be on fire
burning
burn slowly without a flame, emitting smoke
literal
move the burning wood or coal to make it burn better
burn
set fire to something using a handheld flame tool
funeral
burn a dead body to ashes
fire
set something on fire or cause to burn
medical
burn or injury from hot liquid or steam
cooking finish
burn the surface of something with sudden heat
heat damage
slight burn or discoloration from heat
burning
burn slowly with smoke but no flame
fire
catch fire and burn completely
Examples of burn in a sentence
The fire burned intensely, warming the entire room. The campfire will burn all night long. Leaves burn quickly in the autumn breeze. He burned his arm while cooking. The chemical spill burned her skin. The toast will burn if left too long in the toaster.
Be careful not to burn the sauce while cooking. She could feel her cheeks burn as everyone stared. His ears burned when he realized his mistake. She burned her colleague by taking all the credit. They burned him by excluding him from the meeting. She plans to burn the video onto a DVD. He will burn the presentation to a USB drive. She treated the burn with aloe vera gel. The burn required immediate medical attention. The burn left a charred mark on the table. A controlled burn helps prevent wildfires. The burn of the DVD was unsuccessful due to an error. He monitored the burn of the data onto the disk. Her sarcastic remark was a burn to him. The joke left a burn that lingered. The burn flowed gently through the meadow. Children played by the burn all afternoon. Rangers planned a burn for the dry grassland. The prescribed burn cleared brush near the road. The spacecraft's burn lasted for two minutes. A successful burn is crucial for the mission.
View all translations of burn
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:brûler, brûlure, ...
- German:brennen, Verbrennung, ...
- Italian:ardere, ustione, ...
- Spanish:arder, quemadura, ...
- Portuguese:arder, queimadura, ...
- Chinese:燃烧, 烫伤, ...
- Japanese:燃える, やけど, ...
- Arabic:اِشْتَعَل, حَرْق, ...
- Hebrew:לִבְעוֹר, כְּווִיָּה, ...
- Russian:пылать, ожог, ...
- Ukrainian:горіти, опік, ...
- Hindi:जलना, जलन, ...
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