burn off

verb

1. to clear (land) of vegetation by burning

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

noun

1. an act or the process of burning off

Idioms and Phrases

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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Related Words

• clarify 
• eliminate 
• erase 
• free 
• open