burn out

verb

1. to become or cause to become worn out or inoperative as a result of heat or friction

   the clutch burnt out

2. (intr) (of a rocket, jet engine, etc) to cease functioning as a result of exhaustion of the fuel supply

3. (tr; usually passive) to destroy by fire

4. to become or cause to become exhausted through overwork or dissipation

noun

1. the failure of a mechanical device from excessive heating

2. a total loss of energy and interest and an inability to function effectively, experienced as a result of excessive demands upon one's resources or chronic overwork

Idioms and Phrases

Stop functioning because something, such as fuel, has been used up. For example, There's nothing wrong with the lamp; the light bulb just burned out . [Late 1300s]

be burned out . Lose one's home, place of work, or school as the result of a fire. For example, Hundreds of tenants are burned out every year because of negligent landlords .

Also, burn oneself out . Make or become exhausted or disaffected, especially with one's work or schooling. For example, Many young lawyers burn themselves out after a few years of 70-hour weeks . This metaphoric term alludes to a fire going out for lack of new fuel. Robert Southey used it in an 1816 essay: “The spirit of Jacobinism was burnt out in France.” [1970s]

Example Sentences

Such girls were meant to burn out before they grew up, before they could accomplish anything weightier than airy charm.

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Some families, he says, are glad to accept the virtual option, but others are too burned out by screens, a common sentiment since the online learning days of the pandemic.

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Many returning homeowners purchased their neighbors’ burned out lots to build a larger house or simply expand the size of their property.

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"If you think you might be burning out, you're already on your way there," says Andrew Tillman, former head of cyber risk and assurance for the UK's Health Security Agency.

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"With tuition fees rising there is such a pressure to make the most out of it, but you can burn out," Tian says.

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