burn1
v.
(past and past part. burned or chiefly Brit. burnt)
- (of a fire) flame or glow while consuming a fuel.
▸use (a fuel) as a source of heat or energy.
- be or cause to be harmed or destroyed by fire.
▸(of the skin) become red and painful through exposure to the sun.
▸feel hot as a result of illness, injury, or emotion.
-
(be burning with)
be entirely possessed by (a desire or emotion).
-
(burn out)
become exhausted through overwork.
- informal drive very fast.
-
(burn someone up)
N. Amer. informal make someone very angry.
- produce (a CD) by copying from an original or master copy.
n.
- an injury or area of damage caused by burning.
▸a painful sensation in the muscles experienced as a result of sustained exercise.
- a firing of a rocket engine in flight.
- N. Amer. & Austral./NZ an act of clearing of vegetation by burning.
Phrase
- burn one's boats
(or bridges)
do something which makes turning back impossible. - burn the candle at both ends
go to bed late and get up early. - burn a hole in one's pocket
(of money) tempt one to spend it quickly or extravagantly. - burn the midnight oil
work late into the night. - burn rubber
informal drive very fast.
Etymology
OE birnan ‘be on fire’ and bærnan ‘consume by fire’, both from the same Gmc base.
burn2
n.
Scottish &
N. English a small stream.
Etymology
OE burna, burn(e), of Gmc origin.