burning rubber

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiominformal

   the act or sound of a vehicle's tires spinning quickly and noisily against the road, usually when starting fast or driving aggressively.

   Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it often follows verbs like 'do' or 'smell of': The car was doing burning rubber down the street.

   Patterns

   • do burning rubber
   • the smell of burning rubber
   • the sound of burning rubber

   As the light turned green, the driver took off with a loud screech of burning rubber.

   You could smell burning rubber for blocks after the race cars sped away.

   The neighbors complained about the burning rubber every time the teenagers raced down the street.

2. 2phraseidiominformal

   a strong smell like hot, scorched rubber, often from tires or electrical problems.

   Grammar: Often used after 'smell of' or 'smell like': It smells like burning rubber.

   Patterns

   • smell of burning rubber
   • smell like burning rubber

   When the engine overheated, a smell of burning rubber filled the car.

   If you notice a burning rubber smell from the outlet, turn off the power immediately.

Common combinations

do burning rubber

The sports car did burning rubber as it left the parking lot.

smell of burning rubber

There was a strong smell of burning rubber near the garage.

sound of burning rubber

We heard the sound of burning rubber and turned to see the motorcycle.

a cloud of burning rubber

The tires kicked up a cloud of burning rubber smoke.

Synonyms and how they differ

screeching tires

Focuses on the high-pitched sound rather than the smell or action; 'burning rubber' often includes the smell.

peeling out

Informal and mainly American; it describes the action of accelerating so fast that tires spin, while 'burning rubber' can also mean just the smell or sound.

Word family

burn verb

to be on fire or to damage something with heat.

rubber noun

a strong, elastic material made from the sap of a tropical tree or made chemically, used for tires, boots, etc.

Commonly confused: burning rubber or burning rubber?

Practice

Make it your own

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

Explore more words