burn¹ / bərn/ • v. (past and past part. burned or chiefly Brit. burnt / bərnt/ ) 1. [intr.] (of a fire) flame or glow while consuming a material such as coal or wood: a fire burned and crackled cheerfully in the grate. ∎  (of a candle or other source of light) be alight: a light was burning in the hall. ∎  be or cause to be destroyed by fire: he watched his restaurant burn to the ground ∎  [tr.] damage or injure by heat or fire: I burned myself on the stove.2. [intr.] (of a person, the skin, or a part of the body) become red and painful through exposure to the sun: my skin tans easily but sometimes burns. ∎  feel or cause to feel sore, hot, or inflamed, typically as a result of illness or injury. ∎  (of a person's face) feel hot and flushed from an intense emotion such as shame or indignation: her face burned with the humiliation. ∎  (be burning with) be possessed by (a desire or an emotion): Martha was burning with curiosity.3. [tr.] use (a type of fuel) as a source of heat or energy: a diesel engine converted to burn natural gas. ∎  [tr.] (of a person) convert (calories) to energy: the speed at which your body burns calories.4. [tr.] produce (a compact disc or DVD) by copying from an original or master copy.5. [intr.] inf. drive very fast: he burned past us like a maniac.• n. 1. an injury caused by exposure to heat or flame: he was treated in the hospital for burns to his hands. ∎  a mark left on something as a result of being burned: the carpet was covered with cigarette burns. ∎  a feeling of heat and discomfort on the skin caused by friction, typically by a rope or razor: a smooth shave without razor burn. ∎  a sensation of heat experienced on swallowing spicy food, hot liquid, or strong alcoholic drink: Kate felt the burn as the curry hit her throat.2. consumption of a type of fuel as an energy source: natural gas produces the cleanest burn of the lot. ∎  a firing of a rocket engine in flight.3. an act of clearing vegetation by burning, intentionally or by accident. ∎  an area of land cleared in this way.4. a hot, painful sensation in the muscles experienced as a result of sustained vigorous exercise: work up a burn. PHRASES: burn one's bridges do something that makes it impossible to return to an earlier state.burn the candle at both ends go to bed late and get up early, esp. to get work done.burn the midnight oil read, study, or work late into the night.money burns a hole in someone's pocket someone has a strong urge to spend money as soon as they receive it. slow burn inf. a state of slowly mounting anger or annoyance.PHRASAL VERBS: burn something in/into brand or imprint by burning: designs are burned into the skin fig. a childhood incident that was burned into her memory. ∎  Photog. expose one area of a print more than the rest: the sky and bottom of the picture needed substantial burning in.burn out be completely consumed and thus no longer aflame: the candle in the saucer had burned out. ∎  cease to function as a result of excessive heat or friction: the clutch had burned out.burn (oneself) out ruin one's health or become completely exhausted through overwork.burn up1. (of a fire) produce brighter and stronger flames.2. (of an object entering the earth's atmosphere) be destroyed by heat.burn someone up inf. make someone angry: his thoughtless remarks really burn me up.burn something up ∎ use up the calories or energy provided by food, rather than converting these to fat: in the typical Western diet, all the energy in protein is burned up daily.burn² • n. chiefly Scot. & N. Engl. a small stream; a brook.