burn off

British  

verb

1. to clear (land) of vegetation by burning

2. to get rid of (unwanted gas at an oil well, etc) by burning

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noun

1. an act or the process of burning off

burn off Idioms  

1. Dissipate by heat, as in The sun will soon burn off the morning fog .

2. 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.

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Example Sentences

To burn off my energy, my parents had enrolled me in dance classes at age 4.

From The Wall Street Journal

As the morning marine layer burned off it revealed miles of dreamy California coastline, with sand cliffs tumbling to the shore.

From The Wall Street Journal

Scott told the passengers that the plane had a mechanical problem requiring it to circle and burn off fuel.

From Los Angeles Times

The growth also brought flares — flames burning off excess natural gas — that blazed day and night at wells in the surrounding countryside.

From Salon

Within minutes, he’d coaxed it back to life, the coils glowing faintly, the faint metallic tang of dust burning off as he wiped away that unmistakable film of neglect.

From Salon

Related Words

• clarify
• eliminate
• erase
• free
• open