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.
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- 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.
burn
Pronunciation: (bûrn), [key] — n. Scot. and North Eng.
- a brook or rivulet.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.