Meaning & use
burn
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To be on fire or to destroy or damage something with fire or heat.
Grammar: Intransitive when the thing itself burns (the house burned); transitive when someone burns it.
Patterns
- burn something
- burn down
- burn out
The old barn burned for hours before the fire crew arrived.
She burned the letters in the fireplace.
If you leave the toast, it will burn.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To hurt your skin or body with heat, the sun, or a chemical.
Grammar: Often reflexive or with a body part: she burned her hand on the oven.
Patterns
- burn yourself
- burn your hand
He burned his tongue on the hot soup.
Fair skin burns quickly in strong sun.
Be careful not to burn yourself on the pan.
verbtransitive
To use up energy or fuel, especially in order to produce heat or movement.
Grammar: Takes an object such as calories, fuel or energy: burn calories.
Patterns
- burn calories
- burn through something
Running burns more calories than walking.
The old truck burns a lot of fuel.
We burned through our savings in a year.
verbintransitivefigurative
To feel a strong emotion or sensation, such as anger or a stinging heat.
Grammar: Usually followed by with: burn with shame.
Patterns
- burn with something
She burned with anger when she read the email.
His cheeks burned with embarrassment.
The spicy sauce made my throat burn.
nouncountablemedical
An injury to the skin or flesh caused by fire, heat, sun, or chemicals.
Grammar: Often described by degree or cause: a first-degree burn, a sunburn.
Patterns
- a burn on something
She had a small burn on her wrist from the iron.
The doctor treated a serious burn on his arm.
A cool cloth helps soothe a mild burn.
nouncountableScottishBritish
A small stream, especially in Scotland and northern England.
Grammar: Regional word for a brook.
We crossed the burn on stepping stones.
The children paddled in the burn all afternoon.
A narrow burn runs behind the farmhouse.
Word forms
| third person singular | burns |
|---|---|
| past tense | burned |
| past participle | burned |
| -ing form | burning |
| plural | burns |
Common combinations
- burn down
- The old mill burned down in the night.
- burn calories
- A brisk walk burns calories.
- burn a candle
- They burned a candle in the window.
- burn out
- Overwork can make a nurse burn out.
- burn with anger
- He burned with anger at the unfair decision.
- serious burn
- The child suffered a serious burn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scorch
- Scorch means to burn the surface lightly so it changes color, whereas burn can destroy completely.
- singe
- Singe means to burn only the tip or edge, like hair or fabric, rather than the whole thing.
- blaze
- Blaze describes fire burning fiercely and brightly, while burn can be slow or quiet.
- char
- Char means to blacken something with fire, often leaving it partly burned.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: burn or burnt?
burn vs burnt
Burnt is the British past form and common adjective; burned is standard in American English for the verb.
Practice
Be careful, or you will ___ yourself on the hot stove.
Choose one answer.
After will, the base form burn is needed. Burns, burned and burning are the wrong forms after a modal verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “burn”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.