burning
UK/ˈbɜːnɪŋ//ˈbɝnɪŋ/
burning is the present participle and gerund of burn.
Adjective
burning (comparative more burning, superlative most burning)
- So hot as to seem to burn (something).
- the burning sun
- The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom. Whirling wreaths and columns of burning wind, rushed around and over them.1892, James Yoxall, chapter 5, in The Lonely Pyramid
- Feeling very hot.
- burning skin
- Feeling great passion.
- her burning heart
- Consuming; intense; inflaming; exciting; vehement; powerful.
- burning zeal
- a burning passion
- Being keenly discussed.
- a burning question; a burning issue
- On fire.
- A firefighter puts water on a burning tree as flames approach a containment line, while fighting the King fire near Fresh Pond, California.2014 September 19, Andrew Gumbel, “California's burning up: firefighters rush to the scene as major wildfires scorch the state”, in The Guardian
- The driver remained at his post, while telling fireman Jim Nightall to get down on the track and run back to uncouple the burning wagon from the rest.2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948
Noun
burning (plural burnings)
- The act by which something burns or is burned.
- It gives a fine delineation of the burnings of shame, disappointed ambition, and vengeance[…]1828, Timothy Flint, The Western Monthly Review, volume 1, page 403
- The propriety of the dissolution, too, was speedily seen in the improved state of the public peace: for twelve years we hear little of Orange riots, and nothing of such burnings and wreckings as those of Maghera, Maghery, and Annahagh.1850, The Edinburgh Review, Or Critical Journal, volume 91, page 93
- A fire.
- The burnings continued all day.
- The purposeful removal of certain number of coins in circulation, by sending them to a public address where the private keys cannot be obtained (called burn address, eater address or black hole), which usually should be available on the blockchain for anyone to review such a transaction. It’s a one-way address with no ability to reverse the transaction or withdraw the coins. For all practical purposes, the asset no longer exists (it has been “burned”). The act of burning effectively removes tokens from the available supply.
- A fiery pain.
Meaning of burn
Verb
burn (third-person singular simple present burns, present participle burning, simple past and past participle burned or (chiefly Commonwealth) burnt or (obsolete) brent)
- To be consumed by fire or in flames.
- He watched the house burn.
- To contain a fire or coals.
- The wood stove was burning, giving off plenty of heat.
- To become overheated to the point of being unusable; to become scorched.
- The grill was too hot and the steak burned.
- To be executed by an electric chair.
- In this state, he could burn for his crimes.
- To be hot, e.g. due to embarrassment.
- The child’s forehead was burning with fever. Her cheeks burned with shame.
- To approach near to a concealed object which is sought, especially in certain games; to be so near as to be figuratively burnt by a hidden target.
- You’re cold… warm… hot… you’re burning!
Synonyms of burning
Forms of burning
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more burning |
| superlative | most burning |
| Noun | |
| plural | burnings |
Origin of burning
By surface analysis, burn + -ing.
Words formed from burning
- barn-burning
- burning bush
- burning feet syndrome
- burning-glass
- burning hot
- burningly
- Burning Man
- burning mouth syndrome
- burningness
- burning nuclear plasma
- burning plasma
- burning question
- burning tongue syndrome
- electroburning
- long-burning
- nonburning
- overburning
- red burning skin syndrome
- slow-burning
- oil-burning
- afterburning
- barnburning
- book burning
- book-burning
- bra-burning
- brand from the burning
- bridge-burning
- burning bar
- burning-ghat
- burning glass
- burning index
- burning lens
- burning mirror
- burning times
- carbon burning
- coal burning
- field burning
- flag-burning
- heartburning
- helium burning
- hydrogen burning
- inburning
- lime burning
- mowburning
- oxygen burning
- silicon burning
- wood-burning
- woodburning
- yield burning
Phrases with burning
- burning in
- burning up
- burning off
- burning out
- burning away
- burning bars
- burning coal
- burning down
- burning time
- burning bread
- burning house
- burning bushes
39 more phrasesFewer phrases
- burning houses
- burning lenses
- burning rubber
- burning glasses
- burning in hell
- burning mirrors
- burning plasmas
- burning through
- burning daylight
- burning one down
- burning pavement
- burning the coal
- burning the roof
- ears are burning
- burning questions
- burning the water
- controlled burning
- prescribed burning
- turning or burning
- burning one's boats
- burning one's toast
- dumping and burning
- crashing and burning
- are your ears burning
- burning one's bridges
- burning someone's ass
- burning someone's ears
- brands from the burning
- burning nuclear plasmas
- burning the midnight oil
- keep the home fires burning
- kept the home fires burning
- burning someone at the stake
- keeps the home fires burning
- keeping the home fires burning
- burning the candle at both ends
- burning a hole in someone's pocket
- two lamps burning and no ship at sea
- burning that bridge when one comes to it
Words that rhyme with burning
Questions about burning
- What does burning mean?
- Burning means so hot as to seem to burn (something).
- What is burning the present participle and gerund of?
- Burning is the present participle and gerund of burn.
- What part of speech is burning?
- Burning can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce burning?
- Burning is pronounced /ˈbɝnɪŋ/ (US).
Words near burning in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: burning (page history and authors); burn (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-burning.ogg.
Cite this entry: “burning.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/burning. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.