1
as in glows
to be on fire especially brightly
all evening long we just sat there, contentedly watching the Yule log burn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in scorches
to set (something) on fire
it is not a good idea to try to burn old papers in the sink
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in steams
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 flames
to shine with a bright harsh light
the bright streetlight outside our motel room burned all night long
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in deceives
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 consumes
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 brooks
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
the walkers forded the shallow burn and then came upon a field of gorse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of burns
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Unlike conventional scramjets that rely on kerosene, SPARTAN burns hydrogen, producing zero carbon emissions while enabling reusable, low-maintenance hypersonic flight.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Sometimes lightning hits the mountainside and splits or burns a tree.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The cheapest, most efficient way to produce consistent heat has long been with fossil fuels; nothing burns as slow and hot as coal or natural gas.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
After Hedda burns Lovborg’s manuscript and Lovborg is shot by a pistol accidentally going off in her own hand (a gun gifted to her by Hedda, one of General Gabler’s ornate firearms), Tesman and Thea team up to attempt to rewrite Lovborg’s manuscript by hand.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
So was a chapter in the original Pinocchio in which the newly sentient puppet falls asleep with his feet on the stove and burns them off.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Solar and wind power are growing fast and account for most of China’s clean electricity, but the country also burns enormous amounts of coal to supply power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Set after the attacks of October 7, Y (played with slapstick elasticity by poet and playwright Ariel Bronz) pimps himself out for wild, debaucherous parties while the world burns.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025
CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
Fire managers carefully monitor prescribed burns and will plan to conduct activities during safest possible burn windows.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The trend resulted in her daughter sustaining second-degree burns on 45% to 50% of her face, as well as severe injuries to her hands.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Alu suffered burns over 26% of his body while O’Hara was burned over 80% of his body, the archives said.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Most of the victims suffered injuries from glass shards and burns.
—NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Five firefighters have burns to the hands and face.
—Bonny Chu , Landon Mion , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
The three firefighters who have been hospitalized sustained serious burns that are non-life-threatening.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Sebastian was intubated because the swelling from the burns obstructed his airway, reducing his ability to breathe normally, Reynoso added.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
Saito burns about 7,000 calories per day and has lost 13 pounds so far.
—Noun
The suspect sustained burns that were not life-threatening, the Jackson Fire Department said.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for burns
Verb
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On dark nights, the rim of the crater glows orange.—
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Inside, light from shaded lamps and sconces glows amber-soft.—
Verb
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That’s the difference between fury that scorches everything in sight and anger that fuels justice.—
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Potent scenes fail to be as intense as Taylor’s grind-you-up performance that scorches everything and everyone around her.—
Verb
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Humidity often corrodes cables and steams camera lenses.—
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The clip then smash-cuts to a scene of Bruce as a child listening to his parents fight in the next room, and we’re meant to understand that the joy and power that steams off of the stage is a cure for the pain of childhood wounds.—
Verb
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In a statement issued Friday, the commission accused X of using its 'blue checkmark' in a way that deceives users.—
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The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.—
Verb
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Demand for memory chips has also been surging as the AI data center buildout consumes much of the high-bandwidth memory on the market.—
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An average American man consumes about 100 grams of protein per day.—
Noun
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The property, which features lush greenery and old-growth trees set among babbling brooks and water features, is open to the public, and the gardens have served as a popular spot for weddings over the decades in addition to an annual Mother’s Day tea that Weston said attracts hundreds each year.—
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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.—
Verb
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Together, that ignites quite the power struggle in this tense thriller.—
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The drama ignites following the sisters’ mother’s wake, with the abrupt return of their estranged father, Gustav (Skarsgård), an acclaimed but aging director.—
Verb
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Conflict rages over resources, but people are, for the most part, decent.—
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Then, a police-like force rages through their East Village neighborhood, threatening Renata’s friends, lovers, and the memories of those who have died.—
Cite this Entry
“Burns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burns. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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