burn slightly

Meanings

1. 1phrasetransitive

   to damage something a little with heat or fire, without destroying it completely

   Grammar: Takes an object: burn slightly the toast. The adverb slightly comes after the verb or at the end.

   Patterns

   • burn something slightly
   • burn slightly something

   Be careful not to burn the garlic slightly, or it will taste bitter.

   She burned the pancakes slightly, but we ate them anyway.

   The iron was too hot and burned the shirt slightly.

2. 2phraseintransitive

   to hurt a part of your body a little with heat, fire, or a hot liquid

   Grammar: No object; often used with a body part as the subject: My hand burned slightly.

   Patterns

   • burn slightly
   • burn slightly on something

   I burned slightly on my arm when I touched the oven door.

   His face burned slightly from the sun.

   She burned slightly her fingers while lighting the candle.

Word forms

Common combinations

burn slightly the food

If you burn slightly the food, scrape off the black parts.

burn slightly on the hand

He burned slightly on the hand while cooking.

burn slightly in the sun

My shoulders burned slightly in the sun yesterday.

Synonyms and how they differ

scorch

Scorch means to burn the surface of something, often causing a mark; it is stronger and more specific than burn slightly.

singe

Singe means to burn something lightly, especially hair or cloth; it is more technical and usually implies no flame.

Word family

burn verb

To damage or hurt with heat or fire.

slightly adverb

A little; to a small degree.

Commonly confused: burn slightly or burn down?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “burn slightly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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