1
as in to glow
to be on fire especially brightly
all evening long we just sat there, contentedly watching the Yule log burn
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2
as in to scorch
to set (something) on fire
it is not a good idea to try to burn old papers in the sink
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
he came home burning with anger because of a reprimand at work
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4
as in to flame
to shine with a bright harsh light
the bright streetlight outside our motel room burned all night long
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5
as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
he's been burned before, so he's careful to double-check such claims now
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to consume
to make complete use of
heedlessly burning the country's resources without any concern for future generations
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in brook
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
the walkers forded the shallow burn and then came upon a field of gorse
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of burn
Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
—Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Sasirekha Subramanian, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Fires that burn into urban areas often produce smoke that contains more toxins, heavy metals, and other dangerous byproducts; the study didn't explicitly include urban burns.
—Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burn
Verb
The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
—Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
With a second-quarter cash burn of about $112 million, the company is running a tight ship.
—Sasirekha Subramanian, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Fires that burn into urban areas often produce smoke that contains more toxins, heavy metals, and other dangerous byproducts; the study didn't explicitly include urban burns.
—Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burn
Verb
-
In the last few seconds her palm glowed red, and then the light disappeared.—
Rachel Seo,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The mythology of entrepreneurship is everywhere, from TED Talks and Instagram reels to investor decks glowing with vision.—
Anuradha Gupta,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The resulting scorching ash cloud reached as high as 16 miles into the atmosphere, darkening the sky and causing homes and businesses as far as 300 miles away to close.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
-
With cold winters and scorching summers, many wineries harvest the grapes at night when temperatures are cooler to prevent fermentation before the grapes can be processed.—
Lauren David,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In retaliation, the Houthis launched a fusillade of ballistic missiles at the Truman, which turned tail and steamed away, causing another Super Hornet to slide off the deck into the ocean.—
Seth Harp,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
-
In 1979, the Spartan came steamed into Ludington to unload its cargo and was supposed to enter a relatively short layup.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The flaming orange garnish adds a smoky aroma that helps the rye peek through, creating contrast.—
Aly Walansky,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Huse torched ham in his backyard for Cuban sandwiches and celebrated birthdays with epic cakes and flaming desserts.—
Gabrielle Calise,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This requires honesty, particularly self-honesty, as leaders can deceive themselves with what seems like progress.—
Dmitry Malin,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The band’s attorneys said that consumers could be easily deceived by the products allegedly sold on the marketplace, which could, in turn, cause reputational damage for Twenty One Pilots and its legitimate products.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Children and adolescents consume pizza more frequently than adults, the USDA said.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
-
However, once human settlers arrived, so did mammals that easily hunted and consumed these ground-dwelling birds.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Many of these parcels have elements like oak woodlands, meadows, brooks and rivers that create cooler, wetter areas that help plants and animals endure wildfires or periods of extreme heat or drought.—
Beth Rose Middleton Manning,
The Conversation,
15 Sep. 2025
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The original one, fed by a nearby brook, has been out of commission for decades, and two others, installed by the current owners, haven’t been used in several years.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Watson can stretch the field vertically with his blazing speed and was a rare receiver on last year’s team that was plagued by drops to catch the ball consistently well.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Comets are among the most captivating wanderers of the solar system — icy relics from its earliest days that blaze across the sky with glowing tails and mysterious origins.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burn. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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