burning

[bur-ning]

adjective

1. aflame; on fire.

2. very hot; simmering.

   The water was burning.

3. very bright; glowing.

   She wore a burning red bathing suit.

4. caused by or as if by fire, a burn, or heat.

   He had a burning sensation in his throat.

5. intense; passionate.

   a burning desire.

6. urgent or crucial.

   a burning question.

noun

1. the state, process, sensation, or effect of being on fire, burned, burn, or subjected to intense heat.

2. the baking of ceramic products to develop hardness and other properties.

3. the heating or the calcining of certain ores and rocks as a preliminary stage in various industrial processes.

burning

/ ˈbɜːnɪŋ /

adjective

1. intense; passionate

2. urgent; crucial

   a burning problem

noun

1. a form of heat treatment used to harden and finish ceramic materials or to prepare certain ores for further treatment by calcination

2. overheating of an alloy during heat treatment in which local fusion or excessive oxide formation and penetration occur, weakening the alloy

3. the heat treatment of particular kinds of gemstones to change their colour

Other Word Forms

• burningly adverb
• nonburning adjective
• unburning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of burning¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English brenning, Old English byrnende; burn ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

The startup has been burning through about $1 billion each month as it spends heavily on developing its AI models, Bloomberg reported in June.

Read more on MarketWatch

We have a rapidly aging population, a declining birthrate and a care-giving workforce that is burning out and increasingly facing deportation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Scientists have long warned that climate change caused by mankind's burning of fossil fuels will make periods of drought more intense and longer-lasting, creating the ideal conditions for wildfires.

Read more on Barron's

The Fox News segment about the ICE protests soon shows an American flag burning.

Read more on Salon

The IED ignited, and after a couple minutes of burning, it detonated, causing some damage to the unoccupied building.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• fiery 
• flaming 
• gleaming 
• glowing 
• hot 
• scorching 
• searing