burn off
Britishverb
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to clear (land) of vegetation by burning
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to get rid of (unwanted gas at an oil well, etc) by burning
noun
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Dissipate by heat, as in The sun will soon burn off the morning fog .
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Clear land by burning vegetation, as in They've decided to burn off part of the field to prepare it for another planting . This practice has long been common in many parts of the world, but the precise term dates only from the first half of the 1800s.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The months of November to March mark peak fire season in the region as farmers burn off fields before new seeds are sown.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
To burn off my energy, my parents had enrolled me in dance classes at age 4.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
The gel can subsequently be heated to burn off the organic fragment.
From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2024
To help burn off excess calories from the giant canteen, a main fitness center holds more than 350 machines and two saunas, which can also help athletes control their weight.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2024
Pray the sun will burn off the fog and let me see again.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
