/ bɜːn; NAmE bɜːrn/ verb , noun
■ verb
( burnt , burnt / bɜːnt; NAmE bɜːrnt/) or ( burned , burned / bɜːnd; NAmE bɜːrnd/)
FIRE
1.
[ v ] to produce flames and heat :
A welcoming fire was burning in the fireplace.
Fires were burning all over the city.
2.
[ v ] (used especially in the progressive tenses) to be on fire :
By nightfall the whole city was burning.
Two children were rescued from the burning car.
The smell of burning rubber filled the air.
3.
to destroy, damage, injure or kill sb/sth by fire; to be destroyed, etc. by fire :
[ vn ]
to burn waste paper / dead leaves
All his belongings were burnt in the fire.
The cigarette burned a hole in the carpet.
The house was burnt to the ground (= completely destroyed) .
[ vn - adj ]
His greatest fear is of being burnt alive .
[ v ]
The house burned to the ground .
Ten people burned to death in the hotel fire.
FUEL
4.
if you burn a fuel, or a fuel burns , it produces heat, light or energy :
[ vn ]
a furnace that burns gas / oil / coke
( figurative )
Some people burn calories (= use food to produce energy) faster than others.
[ v ]
Which fuel burns most efficiently?
FOOD
5.
if food burns , or if you burn it, it is spoiled because it gets too hot :
[ v ]
I can smell something burning in the kitchen.
[ vn ]
Sorry—I burnt the toast.
SUN / HEAT / ACID
6.
to be damaged or injured by the sun, heat, acid, etc.; to damage or injure sb/sth in this way :
[ v ]
My skin burns easily (= in the sun) .
[ vn ]
I got badly burned by the sun yesterday.
The soup's hot. Don't burn your mouth.
I burned myself on the stove.
OF PART OF BODY
7.
[ v ] if part of your body burns or is burning , it feels very hot and painful :
Your forehead's burning. Have you got a fever?
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
➡ note at hurt
OF A LIGHT
8.
[ v ] to produce light :
Lights were burning upstairs, but no one answered the door.
FEEL EMOTION / DESIRE
9.
burn (with sth) ( literary ) to feel a very strong emotion or desire :
[ v ]
to be burning with rage / ambition / love
[ v to inf ]
He was burning to go climbing again.
GO FAST
10.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] ( informal ) to move very fast in a particular direction :
The car was burning down the road.
MAKE ANGRY
11.
[ vn ] ( NAmE , informal ) to make sb very angry :
So you did it just to burn me?
CD, etc.
12.
[ vn ] to put information onto a CD, etc.
•
IDIOMS
- burn your bridges
- burn the candle at both ends
- burn your fingers | get your fingers burnt
- burn a hole in your pocket
- burn the midnight oil
- burn rubber
- burn sth to a cinder / crisp
—more at ear , money
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- burn away | burn sth away
- burn down
- burn down | burn sth down
- burn sth off
- burn out | burn itself out
- burn out | burn sth out
- burn out | burn yourself / sb out
- burn sth out
- burn up
- burn sb up
- burn sth up
■ noun
INJURY
1.
[ C ] an injury or a mark caused by fire, heat or acid :
minor / severe / third-degree burns
cigarette burns on the furniture
burn marks
a specialist burns unit in a hospital
IN MUSCLES
2.
the burn [ sing. ] the feeling that you get in your muscles when you have done a lot of exercise
RIVER
3.
[ C ] ( ScotE ) a small river
SYN stream
•
IDIOMS
see slow adjective
••
SYNONYMS
burn
char ♦ blacken ♦ scald ♦ scorch ♦ singe
These words all mean to damage, injure, destroy or kill sb/sth with heat or fire.
burn
to damage, injure, destroy or kill sb/sth with fire, heat or acid; to be damaged, etc. by fire, heat or acid:
She burned all his letters.
•
The house burned down in 1995.
char
[usually passive] to make sth black by burning it; to become black by burning:
The bodies had been charred beyond recognition.
blacken
[often passive] to make sth black:
There was a row of brick houses, blackened by smoke.
char or blacken?
Things that are charred have been burnt. Things can be blackened by fire or just by smoke, or by sth else entirely.
scald
to burn part of your body with very hot liquid or steam.
scorch
to burn and slightly damage a surface by making it too hot:
I scorched my dress when I was ironing it.
singe
to burn the surface of sth slightly, usually by mistake; to be burnt in this way:
He singed his hair as he tried to light his cigarette.
scorch or singe?
Things are scorched by heat or fire. Things can only be singed by fire or a flame.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to burn / scald yourself / your hand
to burn / scorch / singe your hair / clothes
burned out / charred / blackened / scorched remains / ruins / buildings
charred / blackened / scorched bodies / flesh / wood / paper
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb and noun senses 1 to 2 Old English birnan be on fire and bærnan consume by fire , both from the same Germanic base; related to German brennen .
noun sense 3 Old English burna , burn(e) , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bron and German Brunnen well.