burn: Meaning and Definition of

burn

Pronunciation: (bûrn), [key]

— v., n. burned burnt, burn•ing,

—v.i.

to undergo rapid combustion or consume fuel in such a way as to give off heat, gases, and, usually, light; be on fire: The fire burned in the grate.
(of a fireplace, furnace, etc.) to contain a fire.
to feel heat or a physiologically similar sensation; feel pain from or as if from a fire: The wound burned and throbbed.
to give off light or to glow brightly: The lights in the house burned all night.
to give off heat or be hot: The pavement burned in the noon sun.
to produce pain or a stinging sensation similar to that of fire; cause to smart: The whiskey burned in his throat.
to be extremely close to finding a concealed object or guessing an answer.
to feel extreme anger: When she said I was rude, I really burned.
to feel strong emotion or passion: He burned with desire.

to undergo combustion, either fast or slow; oxidize.
to undergo fission or fusion.

to become charred or overcooked by heat: The steak burned around the edges.
to receive a sunburn: She burns easily and has to stay in the shade.
to be damned: You may burn for that sin.
to die in an electric chair: The murderer was sentenced to burn.
to be engraved by or as if by burning: His words burned into her heart.

—v.t.

to cause to undergo combustion or be consumed partly or wholly by fire.
to use as fuel or as a source of light: He burned coal to heat the house.
to cause to feel the sensation of heat.
to overcook or char: I almost burned the roast.
to sunburn.
to injure, endanger, or damage with or as if with fire: Look out, you'll burn yourself!
to execute by burning: The heretic was burned at the stake.
to subject to fire or treat with heat as a process of manufacturing.
to produce with or as if with fire: She burned a hole in her dress.
to cause sharp pain or a stinging sensation: The iodine burned his cut.
to consume rapidly, esp. to squander: He burned energy as if he never heard of resting.
to suffer losses or be disillusioned in business or social relationships: She was burned by that phony stock deal.
to cheat or rob.
to cause to undergo combustion; oxidize.
to damage through excessive friction, as in grinding or machining; scorch.
to oxidize (a steel ingot), as with a flame.
to scald (a wine, esp. sherry) in an iron container over a fire.
to put (a played or rejected card) face up at the bottom of the pack.
to disclose the identity of (an undercover agent, law officer, etc.): to burn a narcotics detective.
to burn to the ground: That barn was struck by lightning and burned down.
(in printing) to expose (one part of an image) to more light by masking the other parts in order to darken and give greater detail to the unmasked area. Cf. dodge (def. 2).
(of morning mist) to be dissipated by the warmth of the rising sun.
to weld lead with lead.
See(def. 21).
to exhaust one's energy, ideas, etc., through overwork or intemperance: They feared that he would burn himself out or break down.
to incite to anger: That attitude burns me up.
Our light bulbs burned out.

to cease functioning because something has been exhausted or burned up, as fuel or a filament:Our light bulbs burned out.
to deprive of a place to live, work, etc., by reason of fire:They were burned out and had to live with relatives.
to wear out; exhaust; be worn out; become exhausted.

to be excessively active or immoderate, as by leading an active social life by night and a busy work life by day: You can't burn the candle at both ends and hold onto a job.
to work, study,etc., until late at night: to burn the midnight oil before final exams.
The papers burned up in a minute.

to burn completely or utterly:The papers burned up in a minute.
Informal.to become angry:He burns up at the mention of her name.

—n.

a burned place or area: a burn where fire had ripped through the forest.
an injury usually caused by heat but also by abnormal cold, chemicals, poison gas, electricity, or lightning, and characterized by a painful reddening and swelling of the epidermisdamage extending into the dermis, usually with blisteringor destruction of the epidermis and dermis extending into the deeper tissue with loss of pain receptors
See
the process or an instance of burning or baking, as in brickmaking.
a forest or brush fire.
the firing of a rocket engine.
a swindle.