Adjacent Words

Burn definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BURN, v.t. pret. and pp. burned or burnt. [L. pruna, and perhaps, furnus, fornaz, a furnace. The primary sense is, to rage, to act with violent excitement.]
1. To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or fire; frequently with up; as, to burn up wood.
2. To expel the volatile parts and reduce to charcoal by fire; as, to burn wood into coal. Hence, in popular language, to burn a kiln of wood, is to char the wood.
3. To cleanse of soot by burning; to inflame; as, to burn a chimney; an extensive use of the word.
4. To harden in the fire; to bake or harden by heat; as, to burn bricks or a brick kiln.
5. To scorch; to affect by heat; as, to burn the clothes or the legs by the fire; to burn meat or bread in cookery.
6. To injure by fire; to affect the flesh by heat.
7. To dry up or dissipate; with up; as, to burn up tears.
8. To dry excessively; to cause to wither by heat; as,the sun burns the grass or plants.
9. To heat or inflame; to affect with excessive stimulus; as, ardent spirits burn the stomach.
10. To affect with heat in cookery, so as to give the food a disagreeable taste. Hence the phrase burnt to.
11. To calcine with heat or fire; to expel the volatile matter from substances, so that they are easily pulverized; as, to burn oyster shells, or lime-stone.
12. To affect with excess of heat; as, the fever burns a patient.
13. To subject to the action of fire; to heat or dry; as, to burn colors.
To burn up, to consume entirely by fire.
To burn out, to burn till the fuel is all consumed.
BURN, v.i. To be on fire; to flame; as, the mount burned with fire.
1. To shine; to sparkle.
O prince! O wherefore burn your eyes?
2. To be inflamed with passion or desire; as, to burn with anger or love.
3. To act with destructive violence, as fire.
Shall thy wrath burn like fire?
4. To be in commotion; to rage with destructive violence.
The groan still deepens and the combat burns.
5. To be heated; to be in a glow; as, the face burns.
6. To be affected with a sensation of heat, pain or acidity; as, the heart burns.
7. To feel excess of heat; as, the flesh burns by a fire; a patient burns with a fever.
To burn out, to burn till the fuel is exhausted and the fire ceases.
BURN, n. A hurt or injury of the flesh caused by the action of fire.
1. The operation of burning or baking, as in brickmaking; as, they have a good burn.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: pain that feels hot as if it were on fire [syn: burn, burning]
2: a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun [syn: tan, suntan, sunburn, burn]
3: an injury caused by exposure to heat or chemicals or radiation
4: a place or area that has been burned (especially on a person's body) [syn: burn, burn mark]
5: damage inflicted by fire v
1: destroy by fire; "They burned the house and his diaries" [syn: burn, fire, burn down]
2: shine intensely, as if with heat; "The coals were glowing in the dark"; "The candles were burning" [syn: burn, glow]
3: undergo combustion; "Maple wood burns well" [syn: burn, combust]
4: cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; "The sun burned his face" [syn: bite, sting, burn]
5: cause to burn or combust; "The sun burned off the fog"; "We combust coal and other fossil fuels" [syn: burn, combust]
6: feel strong emotion, especially anger or passion; "She was burning with anger"; "He was burning to try out his new skies"
7: cause to undergo combustion; "burn garbage"; "The car burns only Diesel oil" [syn: burn, incinerate]
8: burn at the stake; "Witches were burned in Salem"
9: spend (significant amounts of money); "He has money to burn"
10: feel hot or painful; "My eyes are burning"
11: burn, sear, or freeze (tissue) using a hot iron or electric current or a caustic agent; "The surgeon cauterized the wart" [syn: cauterize, cauterise, burn]
12: get a sunburn by overexposure to the sun [syn: sunburn, burn]
13: create by duplicating data; "cut a disk"; "burn a CD" [syn: cut, burn]
14: use up (energy); "burn off calories through vigorous exercise" [syn: burn off, burn, burn up]
15: burn with heat, fire, or radiation; "The iron burnt a hole in my dress"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German brunno spring of water Date: before 12th century British creek 2 II. verb (burned or burnt; burning) Etymology: Middle English birnen, from Old English byrnan, verbi., bζrnan, verbt.; akin to Old High German brinnan to burn Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to consume fuel and give off heat, light, and gases <a small fire burns on the hearth> b. to undergo combustion; also to undergo nuclear fission or nuclear fusion c. to contain a fire <a little stove burning in the corner> d. to give off light ; shine, glow <a light burning in the window> 2. a. to be hot <the burning sand> b. to produce or undergo discomfort or pain <ears burning from the cold> c. to become emotionally excited or agitated: as (1) to yearn ardently <burning to tell the story> (2) to be or become very angry or disgusted <the remark made him burn> 3. a. to undergo alteration or destruction by the action of fire or heat <the house burned down> <the potatoes burned to a crisp> b. to die in the electric chair 4. to force or make a way by or as if by burning <her words burned into his heart> 5. to suffer sunburn <she burns easily> transitive verb 1. a. to cause to undergo combustion; especially to destroy by fire <burned the trash> b. to use as fuel <this furnace burns gas> c. to use up ; consume <burn calories> 2. a. to transform by exposure to heat or fire <burn clay to bricks> b. to produce by burning <burned a hole in his sleeve> c. to record digital data or music on (an optical disk) using a laser <burn a CD>; also to record (data or music) in this way <burn songs onto a disk> 3. a. to injure or damage by or as if by exposure to fire, heat, or radiation ; scorch <burned his hand> b. to execute by burning <burned heretics at the stake>; also electrocute 4. a. irritate, annoy — often used with up <really burns me up> b. to subject to misfortune, mistreatment, or deception — often used in passive <has been burned in love> c. to beat or score on <burned the defense with a touchdown pass> • burnable adjective III. noun Date: 1594 1. an act, process, instance, or result of burning: as a. injury or damage resulting from exposure to fire, heat, caustics, electricity, or certain radiations b. a burned area <a burn on the tabletop> c. an abrasion (as of the skin) having the appearance of a burn <rope burns> d. a burning sensation <the burn of iodine on a cut> 2. the firing of a rocket engine in flight 3. anger; especially increasing fury — used chiefly in the phrase slow burn

Britannica Concise

Damage caused to the body by contact with flames, hot substances, some chemicals, radiation (incl. sunlight), or electricity. Burns are classified by depth of skin damage and by percentage of skin damaged. First-degree burns injure only the epidermis (top layer), with redness, pain, and minimal edema. In a second-degree burn, damage extends into the dermis (inner layer), with redness and blisters. Third-degree burns destroy the entire thickness of the skin. There is no pain, because the skin's pain receptors are destroyed. Burns deeper than the skin can release toxic materials into the bloodstream and may require amputation. Secondary shock follows severe burns, caused by loss of fluid both in the destroyed tissue and in leaks from the damaged area. Treatment depends on severity; first-degree burns need only first aid; third-degree burns require long-term hospitalization. Depending on the type, extent, and site of the burn, it may be left exposed, covered with a bandage, or excised to remove dead tissue in preparation for skin grafts. Complications of burns include respiratory problems, infection, ulcers in the stomach or duodenum, and, especially in brown skin, thick scarring. Seizures and hypertension after burns occur almost entirely in children. Survivors usually require plastic surgery, long-term physical therapy, and psychotherapy.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v. (past and past part. burnt or burned) 1 tr. & intr. be or cause to be consumed or destroyed by fire. 2 intr. a blaze or glow with fire. b be in the state characteristic of fire. 3 tr. & intr. be or cause to be injured or damaged by fire or great heat or by radiation. 4 tr. & intr. use or be used as a source of heat, light, or other energy. 5 tr. & intr. char or scorch in cooking (burned the vegetables; the vegetables are burning). 6 tr. produce (a hole, a mark, etc.) by fire or heat. 7 tr. a subject (clay, chalk, etc.) to heat for a purpose. b harden (bricks) by fire. c make (lime or charcoal) by heat. 8 tr. colour, tan, or parch with heat or light (we were burnt brown by the sun). 9 tr. & intr. put or be put to death by fire. 10 tr. a cauterize, brand. b (foll. by in) imprint by burning. 11 tr. & intr. make or be hot, give or feel a sensation or pain of or like heat. 12 tr. & intr. (often foll. by with) make or be passionate; feel or cause to feel great emotion (burn with shame). 13 intr. sl. drive fast. 14 tr. US sl. anger, infuriate. 15 intr. (foll. by into) (of acid etc.) gradually penetrate (into) causing disintegration. --n. 1 a mark or injury caused by burning. 2 the ignition of a rocket engine in flight, giving extra thrust. 3 US, Austral., & NZ a forest area cleared by burning. 4 sl. a cigarette. 5 sl. a car race. Phrases and idioms: burn one's boats (or bridges) commit oneself irrevocably. burn the candle at both ends exhaust one's strength or resources by undertaking too much. burn down 1 a destroy (a building) by burning. b (of a building) be destroyed by fire. 2 burn less vigorously as fuel fails. burn one's fingers suffer for meddling or rashness. burn a hole in one's pocket (of money) be quickly spent. burning-glass a lens for concentrating the sun's rays on an object to burn it. burn low (of fire) be nearly out. burn the midnight oil read or work late into the night. burn out 1 be reduced to nothing by burning. 2 fail or cause to fail by burning. 3 (usu. refl.) esp. US suffer physical or emotional exhaustion. 4 consume the contents of by burning. 5 make (a person) homeless by burning his or her house. burn-out n. US 1 physical or emotional exhaustion, esp. caused by stress. 2 depression, disillusionment. burnt ochre (or sienna or umber) a pigment darkened by burning. burnt offering 1 an offering burnt on an altar as a sacrifice. 2 joc. overcooked food. burnt-out physically or emotionally exhausted. burn up 1 get rid of by fire. 2 begin to blaze. 3 US sl. be or make furious. have money to burn have more money than one needs. Etymology: OE birnan, bærnan f. Gmc 2. n. Sc. a small stream. Etymology: OE burna etc. f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Burn Burn, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burned (?) or Burnt (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Burning.] [OE. bernen, brennen, v. t., early confused with beornen, birnen, v. i., AS. b[ae]rnan, bernan, v. t., birnan, v. i.; akin to OS. brinnan, OFries. barna, berna, OHG. brinnan, brennan, G. brennen, OD. bernen, D. branden, Dan. br[ae]nde, Sw. br["a]nna, brinna, Icel. brenna, Goth. brinnan, brannjan (in comp.), and possibly to E. fervent.] 1. To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or fire; -- frequently intensified by up: as, to burn up wood. ``We'll burn his body in the holy place.'' --Shak. 2. To injure by fire or heat; to change destructively some property or properties of, by undue exposure to fire or heat; to scorch; to scald; to blister; to singe; to char; to sear; as, to burn steel in forging; to burn one's face in the sun; the sun burns the grass. 3. To perfect or improve by fire or heat; to submit to the action of fire or heat for some economic purpose; to destroy or change some property or properties of, by exposure to fire or heat in due degree for obtaining a desired residuum, product, or effect; to bake; as, to burn clay in making bricks or pottery; to burn wood so as to produce charcoal; to burn limestone for the lime. 4. To make or produce, as an effect or result, by the application of fire or heat; as, to burn a hole; to burn charcoal; to burn letters into a block. 5. To consume, injure, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does; as, to burn the mouth with pepper. This tyrant fever burns me up. --Shak. This dry sorrow burns up all my tears. --Dryden. When the cold north wind bloweth, . . . it devoureth the mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the grass as fire. --Ecclus. xliii. 20, 21. 6. (Surg.) To apply a cautery to; to cauterize. 7. (Chem.) To cause to combine with oxygen or other active agent, with evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize; as, a man burns a certain amount of carbon at each respiration; to burn iron in oxygen. To burn, To burn together, as two surfaces of metal (Engin.), to fuse and unite them by pouring over them a quantity of the same metal in a liquid state. To burn a bowl (Game of Bowls), to displace it accidentally, the bowl so displaced being said to be burned. To burn daylight, to light candles before it is dark; to waste time; to perform superfluous actions. --Shak. To burn one's fingers, to get one's self into unexpected trouble, as by interfering the concerns of others, speculation, etc. To burn out, to destroy or obliterate by burning. ``Must you with hot irons burn out mine eyes?'' --Shak. To be burned out, to suffer loss by fire, as the burning of one's house, store, or shop, with the contents. To burn up, To burn down, to burn entirely.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Burn Burn, n. 1. A hurt, injury, or effect caused by fire or excessive or intense heat. 2. The operation or result of burning or baking, as in brickmaking; as, they have a good burn. 3. A disease in vegetables. See Brand, n., 6.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Burn Burn, n. [See 1st Bourn.] A small stream. [Scot.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Burn Burn, v. i. 1. To be of fire; to flame. ``The mount burned with fire.'' --Deut. ix. 15. 2. To suffer from, or be scorched by, an excess of heat. Your meat doth burn, quoth I. --Shak. 3. To have a condition, quality, appearance, sensation, or emotion, as if on fire or excessively heated; to act or rage with destructive violence; to be in a state of lively emotion or strong desire; as, the face burns; to burn with fever. Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way? --Luke xxiv. 32. The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, Burned on the water. --Shak. Burning with high hope. --Byron. The groan still deepens, and the combat burns. --Pope. The parching air Burns frore, and cold performs the effect of fire. --Milton. 4. (Chem.) To combine energetically, with evolution of heat; as, copper burns in chlorine. 5. In certain games, to approach near to a concealed object which is sought. [Colloq.] To burn out, to burn till the fuel is exhausted. To burn up, To burn down, to be entirely consumed.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(burns, burning, burned, burnt) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. Note: The past tense and past participle is 'burned' in American English, and 'burned' or 'burnt' in British English. 1. If there is a fire or a flame somewhere, you say that there is a fire or flame burning there. Fires were burning out of control in the center of the city... There was a fire burning in the large fireplace... VERB: V, V 2. If something is burning, it is on fire. When I arrived one of the vehicles was still burning... That boy was rescued from a burning house. VERB: V, V-ing • burning When we arrived in our village there was a terrible smell of burning. N-UNCOUNT 3. If you burn something, you destroy or damage it with fire. Protesters set cars on fire and burned a building... Coal fell out of the fire, and burned the carpet. VERB: V n, V n • burning The French government has criticized the burning of a US flag outside the American Embassy. 4. If you burn a fuel or if it burns, it is used to produce heat, light, or energy. The power stations burn coal from the Ruhr region... Manufacturers are working with new fuels to find one that burns more cleanly than petrol. VERB: V n, V 5. If you burn something that you are cooking or if it burns, you spoil it by using too much heat or cooking it for too long. I burnt the toast... Watch them carefully as they finish cooking because they can burn easily. VERB: V n, V • burnt ...the smell of burnt toast. ADJ 6. If you burn part of your body, burn yourself, or are burnt, you are injured by fire or by something very hot. Take care not to burn your fingers... If you are badly burnt, seek medical attention. VERB: V n, be V-ed, also V pron-refl • Burn is also a noun. She suffered appalling burns to her back. N-COUNT 7. If someone is burnt or burnt to death, they are killed by fire. Women were burned as witches in the middle ages... At least 80 people were burnt to death when their bus caught fire. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed as n, be V-ed to n 8. If a light is burning, it is shining. (LITERARY) The building was darkened except for a single light burning in a third-story window. VERB: V 9. If your face is burning, it is red because you are embarrassed or upset. Liz's face was burning. VERB: usu cont, V 10. If you are burning with an emotion or are burning to do something, you feel that emotion or the desire to do that thing very strongly. The young boy was burning with a fierce ambition... Dan burned to know what the reason could be. VERB: V with n, V to-inf 11. If you burn or get burned in the sun, the sun makes your skin become red and sore. Build up your tan slowly and don't allow your skin to burn... Summer sun can burn fair skin in minutes. VERB: V, V n 12. If a part of your body burns or if something burns it, it has a painful, hot or stinging feeling. My eyes burn from staring at the needle... His face was burning with cold. ...delicious Indian recipes which won't burn your throat. VERB: V, V with n, V n 13. To burn a CD-ROM means to write or copy data onto it. (COMPUTING INFORMAL) You can use this software to burn custom compilations of your favorite tunes. VERB: V n 14. see also burning 15. to burn the candle at both ends: see candle to get your fingers burned: see finger to burn something to the ground: see ground to burn the midnight oil: see midnight to have money to burn: see money

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Consume (with fire), reduce to ashes. 2. Calcine, char, scorch, toast, parch, bake. 3. Injure by fire or heat. 4. Shrivel, cause to wither. 5. Tan, bronze, brown, embrown. II. v. n. 1. Flame, be on fire. 2. Glow, warm, be excited. 3. Tingle, be hot, be feverish. III. n. [Scotch.] Brook, rivulet, streamlet, runnel, runlet, rivulet, rill, beck, small stream.

Moby Thesaurus

Earth insertion, LEM, LM, abrade, abrasion, adolescent stream, afflict, agonize, ail, air-dry, altitude peak, anhydrate, apogee, arroyo, assault, attack, attitude-control rocket, automatic control, bake, ballistic capsule, bank, barbarize, bark, batter, be bright, be in heat, be livid, be pissed, be warm, beacon, beam, beat, beat down, beck, bedazzle, beguile of, behead, bilk, bite, blacken, blast-off, blaze, blaze up, blemish, blind, blister, bloody, bloom, blot, blow down, blow up, bluster, boil, boil over, bourn, bowstring, braided stream, branch, brand, break, break down, bring down, bristle, broil, bronze, brook, brooklet, brown, browned off, brush, brutalize, bulldoze, bunco, burn down, burn in, burn off, burning, burning pain, burnout, burst into flame, butcher, capsule, carry on, cast, cast down, catch, catch fire, catch on fire, cauterize, ceiling, chafe, channel, char, cheat, check, chip, chisel, choke, chop down, chouse, chouse out of, claw, coal, cog, cog the dice, combust, con, concussion, conflagrate, consume, convulse, cook, cozen, crack, crackle, craze, creek, cremate, crib, crick, crucify, cupel, cure, cut, cut down, daze, dazzle, decapitate, decollate, deep-space ship, defenestrate, defraud, dehumidify, dehydrate, descent, desiccate, desire, destroy, diddle, diffuse light, distress, do in, do out of, docking, docking maneuver, drain, dry, electrocute, embrown, end of burning, enkindle, euchre, evaporate, excruciate, execute, exsiccate, fan the flame, feed, feed the fire, fell, ferry rocket, fester, finagle, fire, flam, flame, flame up, flare, flare up, flash, flash burn, flatten, fleece, flicker, flight, flimflam, flowing stream, flush, fluviation, fob, found, fracture, fray, frazzle, fresh, freshet, fret, fritter away, fry, fudge, fuel ship, fulgurate, fume, gall, garrote, gash, gasp, get wind of, gill, give light, give pain, glance, glare, gleam, glint, glow, gnaw, go on, gouge, gripe, guillotine, gull, gyp, hammer, harrow, have, have a conniption, hocus, hocus-pocus, hurt, ignite, ignition, impact, incandesce, incinerate, incise, incision, inflame, inflict capital punishment, inflict pain, infuscate, injection, injure, injury, insertion, insolate, irritate, itch, kill, kill by inches, kiln, kindle, knock down, knock over, lacerate, laceration, lapidate, launch, lay waste, lazy stream, lesion, level, lift-off, light, light up, long, loot, lunar excursion module, lunar module, luster, maim, make mincemeat of, manned rocket, martyr, martyrize, mat burn, maul, meandering stream, melt, midchannel, midstream, millstream, module, moon ship, mortal wound, moving road, mow down, mug, mulct, multistage rocket, mummify, mutilate, mutilation, navigable river, nip, nose out, orbit, overreach, oxidate, oxidize, pack the deal, pain, pant, parch, parking orbit, perigee, pierce, pigeon, pillage, pinch, pissed off, practice fraud upon, prick, prolong the agony, prostrate, pull down, puncture, put to death, put to torture, pyrolyze, race, racing stream, rack, radiate, radiate heat, rage, raise Cain, raise hell, raise the devil, raise the roof, ramp, rampage, rankle, rant, rant and rave, rape, rase, rasp, rave, raze, ream, reduce to ashes, reentry, rekindle, relight, relume, rend, rent, riot, rip, river, rivulet, roar, roast, rocket, rocket launching, rook, rub, ruin, run, rundle, runlet, runnel, rupture, rust, sack, savage, scald, scam, scent, scorch, scotch, scrape, scratch, screw, scuff, sear, second-degree burn, seethe, sell gold bricks, send out rays, set fire to, set on fire, shave, shimmer with heat, shine, shine brightly, shoot, shoot out rays, shortchange, shot, shrivel, shuttle rocket, sike, simmer, singe, sizzle, skin, slash, slaughter, slit, smart, smarting, smash, smell, smell out, smoke, smolder, smother, smoulder, sniff, sniff out, soak up, soft landing, solder, sore, sow chaos, space capsule, space docking, space rocket, spacecraft, spaceship, spark, spill stream, sponge, sprain, sputter, squander, stab, stab wound, stack the cards, steam, steamroller, stew, stick, stifle, sting, stinging, stir the fire, stoke, stoke the fire, stone, storm, strain, strangle, stream, stream action, streamlet, strike a light, subterranean river, suffocate, sun, sun-dry, sunburn, sunscald, suntan, swab, sweat, swelter, swindle, swinge, take, take a dive, take down, take on, tan, tear, tear around, tear down, terrorize, thimblerig, third-degree burn, throw a fight, throw a fit, throw away, throw down, tingle, tingling, toast, torch, torment, torrefy, torture, touch off, towel, trajectory, trauma, traumatize, tweak, twist, urtication, use, vandalize, velocity peak, vesicate, victimize, violate, vulcanize, wadi, warm, waste, watercourse, waterway, weazen, weld, windburn, wipe, wish, wither, wizen, wound, wounds immedicable, wreck, wrench, wring, yearn