burn 1
— burnable , adj.
/berrn/ , v. , burned or burnt, burning , n.
v.i.
1. to undergo rapid combustion or consume fuel in such a way as to give off heat, gases, and, usually, light; be on fire: The fire burned in the grate.
2. (of a fireplace, furnace, etc.) to contain a fire.
3. to feel heat or a physiologically similar sensation; feel pain from or as if from a fire: The wound burned and throbbed.
4. to give off light or to glow brightly: The lights in the house burned all night.
5. to give off heat or be hot: The pavement burned in the noon sun.
6. to produce pain or a stinging sensation similar to that of fire; cause to smart: The whiskey burned in his throat.
7. Games. to be extremely close to finding a concealed object or guessing an answer.
8. to feel extreme anger: When she said I was rude, I really burned.
9. to feel strong emotion or passion: He burned with desire.
10. Chem.
a. to undergo combustion, either fast or slow; oxidize.
b. to undergo fission or fusion.
11. to become charred or overcooked by heat: The steak burned around the edges.
12. to receive a sunburn: She burns easily and has to stay in the shade.
13. to be damned: You may burn for that sin.
14. Slang. to die in an electric chair: The murderer was sentenced to burn.
15. to be engraved by or as if by burning: His words burned into her heart.
v.t.
16. to cause to undergo combustion or be consumed partly or wholly by fire.
17. to use as fuel or as a source of light: He burned coal to heat the house.
18. to cause to feel the sensation of heat.
19. to overcook or char: I almost burned the roast.
20. to sunburn.
21. to injure, endanger, or damage with or as if with fire: Look out, you'll burn yourself!
22. to execute by burning: The heretic was burned at the stake.
23. to subject to fire or treat with heat as a process of manufacturing.
24. to produce with or as if with fire: She burned a hole in her dress.
25. to cause sharp pain or a stinging sensation: The iodine burned his cut.
26. to consume rapidly, esp. to squander: He burned energy as if he never heard of resting.
27. Slang. to suffer losses or be disillusioned in business or social relationships: She was burned by that phony stock deal.
28. Slang. to cheat or rob.
29. Chem. to cause to undergo combustion; oxidize.
30. to damage through excessive friction, as in grinding or machining; scorch.
31. Metall. to oxidize (a steel ingot), as with a flame.
32. Brit. to scald (a wine, esp. sherry) in an iron container over a fire.
33. Cards. to put (a played or rejected card) face up at the bottom of the pack.
34. Slang. to disclose the identity of (an undercover agent, law officer, etc.): to burn a narcotics detective.
35. burn down , to burn to the ground: That barn was struck by lightning and burned down.
36. burn in , Photog. (in printing) to expose (one part of an image) to more light by masking the other parts in order to darken and give greater detail to the unmasked area. Also, print in . Cf. dodge (def. 2).
37. burn off , (of morning mist) to be dissipated by the warmth of the rising sun.
38. burn on , to weld lead with lead.
39. burn one's bridges (behind one) . See bridge (def. 21).
40. burn oneself out , to exhaust one's energy, ideas, etc., through overwork or intemperance: They feared that he would burn himself out or break down.
41. burn one up , Informal. to incite to anger: That attitude burns me up.
42. burn out ,
a. to cease functioning because something has been exhausted or burned up, as fuel or a filament: Our light bulbs burned out.
b. to deprive of a place to live, work, etc., by reason of fire: They were burned out and had to live with relatives.
c. to wear out; exhaust; be worn out; become exhausted.
43. burn the or one's candle at both ends , to be excessively active or immoderate, as by leading an active social life by night and a busy work life by day: You can't burn the candle at both ends and hold onto a job.
44. burn the midnight oil , to work, study,etc., until late at night: to burn the midnight oil before final exams.
45. burn up ,
a. to burn completely or utterly: The papers burned up in a minute.
b. Informal. to become angry: He burns up at the mention of her name.
n.
46. a burned place or area: a burn where fire had ripped through the forest.
47. Pathol. an injury usually caused by heat but also by abnormal cold, chemicals, poison gas, electricity, or lightning, and characterized by a painful reddening and swelling of the epidermis (first-degree burn) , damage extending into the dermis, usually with blistering (second-degree burn) , or destruction of the epidermis and dermis extending into the deeper tissue with loss of pain receptors (third-degree burn) .
48. See slow burn .
49. the process or an instance of burning or baking, as in brickmaking.
50. a forest or brush fire.
51. the firing of a rocket engine.
52. Slang. a swindle.
53. to record data on (a compact disc).
[ bef. 900; ME bernen, brennen, OE beornan (intrans.), (c. Goth, OHG brinnan ), and OE baernan (transit.), (c. Goth brannjan, OHG brennen ) ]
Syn. 1. flame. 3. tingle, glow. 16. char, toast, brown, tan. BURN, SCORCH, SEAR, SINGE refer to the effect of fire or heat. To BURN is to consume, wholly or in part, by contact with fire or excessive heat: to burn leaves. SCORCH implies superficial or slight burning, resulting in a change of color or in injury to the texture because of shriveling or curling: to scorch a dress while ironing. SEAR refers esp. to the drying or hardening caused by heat: to sear a roast of meat. SINGE applies esp. to a superficial burning that takes off ends or projections: to singe hair; singe the pinfeathers from a chicken.
burn 2
/berrn/ , n. Scot. and North Eng.
a brook or rivulet.
Also, bourn, bourne .
[ bef. 900; ME burne, bourne, OE burna, brunna brook; c. Goth brunna, D born, bron, G Brunnen, ON brunnr spring ]