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• burr
  burr

  noun

  Also a protruding, ragged edge raised on the surface of metal during drilling, shearing, punching, or engraving.
• Burr
  Burr

  noun

  Aaron, 1756–1836, vice president of the U.S. 1801–05.

burr

¹ American  

[bur] / bɜr /

Also bur

noun

1. Also a protruding, ragged edge raised on the surface of metal during drilling, shearing, punching, or engraving.

2. a rough or irregular protuberance on any object, as on a tree.

3. a small, handheld, power-driven milling cutter, used by machinists and die makers for deepening, widening, or undercutting small recesses.

4. a lump of brick fused or warped in firing.

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verb (used with object)

1. to form a rough point or edge on.

2. deburr.

burr ² American  

[bur] / bɜr /

Or bur

noun

1. a washer placed at the head of a rivet.

2. a blank punched out of a piece of sheet metal.

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burr ³ American  

[bur] / bɜr /

noun

1. a pronunciation of the r- sound as a uvular trill, as in certain Northern English dialects.

2. a pronunciation of the r- sound as an alveolar flap or trill, as in Scottish English.

3. any pronunciation popularly considered rough or nonurban.

4. a whirring noise.

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verb (used without object)

1. to speak with a burr.

2. to speak roughly, indistinctly, or inarticulately.

3. to make a whirring sound.

verb (used with object)

1. to pronounce (words, sounds, etc.) with a burr.

burr ⁴ American  

[bur] / bɜr /

Or buhr

noun

1. burstone.

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Burr ⁵ American  

[bur] / bɜr /

noun

1. Aaron, 1756–1836, vice president of the U.S. 1801–05.

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burr ¹ British  

/ bɜː /

noun

1. a small power-driven hand-operated rotary file, esp for removing burrs or for machining recesses

2. a rough edge left on a workpiece after cutting, drilling, etc

3. a rough or irregular protuberance, such as a burl on a tree

4. a burl on the trunk or root of a tree, sliced across for use as decorative veneer

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noun

1. a variant spelling of bur

verb

1. to form a rough edge on (a workpiece)

2. to remove burrs from (a workpiece) by grinding, filing, etc; deburr

burr ² British  

/ bɜː /

noun

1. phonetics an articulation of (r) characteristic of certain English dialects, esp the uvular fricative trill of Northumberland or the retroflex r of the West of England

2. a whirring sound

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verb

1. to pronounce (words) with a burr

2. to make a whirring sound

burr ³ British  

/ bɜː /

noun

1. a washer fitting around the end of a rivet

2. a blank punched out of sheet metal

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burr ⁴ British  

/ bɜː /

noun

1. short for buhrstone

2. a mass of hard siliceous rock surrounded by softer rock

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Burr ⁵ British  

/ bɜː /

noun

1. Aaron . 1756–1836, US vice-president (1800–04), who fled after killing a political rival in a duel and plotted to create an independent empire in the western US; acquitted (1807) of treason

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Etymology

Origin of burr¹

First recorded in 1605–15; spelling variant of bur ¹

Origin of burr²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English burrewez (plural), buruhe “circle,” variant of brough “round tower”; see broch

Origin of burr³

First recorded in 1750–60; apparently both imitative and associative, the sound being thought of as rough like a bur

Origin of burr⁴

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English burre, probably so called from its roughness

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

burr Burr

For years, Surf City conservatives like Gates have reveled in playing the burr in the saddle of deep blue California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

Famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of the benchmark stock index and his fast-paced Brooklyn burr, he has been a markets data maven for everyone from Wall Street analysts to financial journalists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

The following year, his balloon burst a mile above the ground in Virginia, and his re-attempt at the flight saw him wrecked among burr chestnut trees and almost killed.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2024

Still, there’s a difference between a burr in one’s saddle and feeling like you’re sitting right on top of three or four other teams each pointing a pitchfork at your backside.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2024

Nhamo hadn’t looked into a mirror since the day she thought she resembled a wall spider with a burr on top.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Burr said that about 70 members were affected by the fire and that congregants have been supporting families through food deliveries and care packages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

In Jefferson’s mind Henry was a lazy lightweight, Hamilton a monarchist and a coward, Burr an insurrectionist and Marshall an implacable foe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

After the Burr Oak Cemetery investigation, von Konrat was asked to assist with several other cases involving moss.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2026

Nine years later this new story promises to expand on Le Carré's source material, and alongside Tom Hiddleston's British intelligence operative Jonathan Pine, it sees the return of his fellow spy Olivia Colman's Angela Burr.

From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025

He also carried a military title, thus outranking Burr with his honorary designation as “General Hamilton,” based on his last appointment, that of inspector general of the New Army in 1799.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis