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Burn Very Common

Burn has 24 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

pain that feels hot as if it were on fire

"The spicy salsa made my tongue burn so badly I had to drink a glass of milk immediately."

2

a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun

"After spending too long at the beach without sunscreen, I had to apply soothing lotion to cover up my severe burn."

3

an injury caused by exposure to heat or chemicals or radiation

"She had to cover her skin immediately after accidentally dropping boiling water on herself, resulting in a painful burn."

4

a place or area that has been burned (especially on a person's body)

"After forgetting to put cream on his hand, he stared at the angry red burn blistering where the hot pan had touched his skin."

5

damage inflicted by fire

"The hikers rushed to help their companion after his leg was badly burned when he fell into a campfire."

6

A physical injury caused by heat, cold, electricity, radiation or caustic chemicals.

"The hikers crossed the narrow burn that cut through the forest floor."

7

A stream.

In plain English: A burn is an injury to your skin caused by heat, electricity, or chemicals.

"The fire left a painful burn on his arm."

Usage: Do not use "burn" as a noun to mean a stream; this is an archaic or dialectal usage that has fallen out of standard English. Instead, reserve the noun form for physical injuries caused by heat or fire, such as a sunburn or a kitchen burn.

Verb
1

destroy by fire

"They burned the house and his diaries"

2

shine intensely, as if with heat

"The coals were glowing in the dark"

"The candles were burning"

3

undergo combustion

"Maple wood burns well"

4

cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort

"The sun burned his face"

5

cause to burn or combust

"The sun burned off the fog"

"We combust coal and other fossil fuels"

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"

8

execute by tying to a stake and setting alight

"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"

12

get a sunburn by overexposure to the sun

"I forgot my sunscreen, so I ended up burning on the beach for an hour under the harsh midday sun."

13

create by duplicating data

"cut a disk"

"burn a CD"

14

use up (energy)

"burn off calories through vigorous exercise"

15

damage by burning with heat, fire, or radiation

"The iron burnt a hole in my dress"

16

To cause to be consumed by fire.

"The intense heat from the wildfire burned down the entire forest in just a few hours."

In plain English: To burn something means to damage it by exposing it to fire or extreme heat until it catches fire or turns into ash.

"The fire was burning brightly in the fireplace."

Usage: Use "burn" when describing something that is being destroyed or damaged by fire or intense heat. Do not use it to mean cooking food unless you specifically want to imply the food has been overcooked or charred.

Proper Noun
1

A village and civil parish in Selby district, North Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE5928).

"We drove through Burn to catch a glimpse of the historic church before continuing our journey along the A64."

Example Sentences
"The fire left a painful burn on his arm." noun
"The cigarette was still glowing with a faint burn at the tip." noun
"He tried to hide the fresh burn on his arm from his parents." noun
"After hours of intense study, she felt a mental burn that left her exhausted." noun
"The fire was burning brightly in the fireplace." verb
See Also
fire injury heat wound hot char fire injury skin
Related Terms
fire injury heat wound hot char fire injury skin degree pain third third degree hurt ambrine outburn scove burn candle at both ends print scald injure
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
pain hyperpigmentation injury blemish damage destroy shine change state ache feel change integrity execute waste treat burn discolor produce consume
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
electric burn scorch scald first-degree burn second-degree burn third-degree burn cigarette burn backfire cremate torch gutter burn down smolder deflagrate flame flare blaze nettle ignite set ablaze char cauterize

Origin

The word "burn" comes from Old English birnan, which originally meant to set something on fire. It traveled into modern English through Middle English after undergoing a sound shift known as metathesis.

Rhyming Words
urn gurn kurn durn ourn turn tourn churn bourn mourn yourn inurn spurn upturn caburn auburn beturn deturn inturn woburn
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