burn out
Britishverb
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to become or cause to become worn out or inoperative as a result of heat or friction
the clutch burnt out
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(intr) (of a rocket, jet engine, etc) to cease functioning as a result of exhaustion of the fuel supply
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(tr; usually passive) to destroy by fire
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to become or cause to become exhausted through overwork or dissipation
noun
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the failure of a mechanical device from excessive heating
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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
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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]
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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 .
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Once fireworks burn out, they leave behind more than ash.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026
"Many people hold onto the American dream, but given how tough things are getting, you can't be the salmon swimming against the current -- because you get tired, you burn out, it destroys you."
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
The alternative isn’t great, either: You stay in a miserable job and burn out before you’re 30.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
A specialist carried out an ultrasound but "couldn't diagnose it from that," she said, "but she had enough evidence to suggest surgery the next day to one, diagnose and two, burn out the tissue".
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
A table stood by the door, where a heavy-set man scratched away on a piece of paper, his work lit by a half- dozen candle stubs that would soon burn out.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
