burning

American  

[bur-ning] / ˈbɜr nɪŋ /

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.

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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 British  

/ ˈbɜːnɪŋ /

adjective

1. intense; passionate

2. urgent; crucial

   a burning problem

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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

Etymology

Origin of burning

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

Example Sentences

Air traffic controllers were evacuated from the tower because of a burning smell coming from an elevator, the FAA said in a statement reported by the New York Post.

From Barron's

Levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are at their highest for at least two million years, the WMO says, due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.

From BBC

Since the stone age, people have typically kept themselves warm by burning things - wood or coal on a fire, or oil or gas in a boiler.

From BBC

She says they told officers they were suspicious that Cooper had repainted the outside of his windows and he had been spotted burning items in his back garden.

From BBC

“But you’re stuck with your facial geometry and your fingerprint for life unless you take drastic measures like burning your fingerprints off,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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