burnout

[ burn-out ]

/ ˈbɜrnˌaʊt /

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See synonyms for burnout on Thesaurus.com

noun

a fire that is totally destructive of something.

Also burn-out . fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.

Rocketry.

the termination of effective combustion in a rocket engine, due to exhaustion of propellant.
the end of the powered portion of a rocket's flight.

Electricity. the breakdown of a lamp, motor, or other electrical device due to the heat created by the current flowing through it.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of burnout

First recorded in 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase burn out

Words nearby burnout

burn one's bridges, burn oneself out, burn one's fingers, burnoose, burnous, burnout, burn pit, burn rate, burn rubber, Burns, Burnside

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use burnout in a sentence

Work-from-home has erased the already blurry lines between office hours and our own time, leading to a dramatic spike in workers struggling with burnout, surveys suggest.
Beyond GameStop: Are You Ready for an Economic Moonshot?|Charu Kasturi|January 31, 2021|Ozy
Many doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are struggling with burnout.
COVID-19 vaccines could end the pandemic by eliminating severe cases|Kate Baggaley|January 29, 2021|Popular-Science
It needed to be about all my friends, and we were all nerds, and the only other people we related to were the burnouts, who we called freaks in our high school.
How ‘Freaks and Geeks’ went from misfit dramedy to cult classic, as told by its cast and creators: ‘People just like it so much that it thrusts itself from the grave’|Sonia Rao|January 27, 2021|Washington Post
Too much stress with not enough rest and you get injury, illness, or burnout.
7 Wellness Strategies to Build Resilience|Brad Stulberg|January 22, 2021|Outside Online

A July survey by online employment platform Monster found that 69 percent of respondents were struggling with burnout, a dramatic rise from 20 percent two months earlier.
The Boom of the Burnout Business|Charu Kasturi|January 22, 2021|Ozy
The book is a memoir that highlights the problem of physician burnout in the midst of our by now decades-long health care crisis.
Why Your Doctor Feels Like a 'Beaten Dog'|Daniela Drake|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It wins because we can relate and because there is a certain amount of suffering-burnout at play, too.
The Taliban Trolled the Internet with a Dog Video and Upstaged an American POW|Brian Van Reet|February 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A new study shows U.S. doctors have a burnout rate of 38 percent versus 28 percent for the general population.
Study Says Doctors More Burned Out Than Others, But It’s Not Really a Malady|Kent Sepkowitz|August 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But the burnout described in this and so many other articles is not really a malady.
Study Says Doctors More Burned Out Than Others, But It’s Not Really a Malady|Kent Sepkowitz|August 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Burnout is a real problem, with real downstream effects—poor employee performance, higher turnover, clinical depression.
Study Says Doctors More Burned Out Than Others, But It’s Not Really a Malady|Kent Sepkowitz|August 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It would take practically absolute simultaneity to overload to the point of burnout to those Strett generators.
Masters of Space|Edward Elmer Smith
Burnout of the second stage came suddenly, and we heaved slightly against our belts as the springs in our seats pushed back out.
The Trouble with Telstar|John Berryman

British Dictionary definitions for burnout

burn out

verb (adverb)

to become or cause to become worn out or inoperative as a result of heat or frictionthe clutch burnt out

(intr) (of a rocket, jet engine, etc) to cease functioning as a result of exhaustion of the fuel supply

(tr; usually passive) to destroy by fire

to become or cause to become exhausted through overwork or dissipation

noun burnout

the failure of a mechanical device from excessive heating

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with burnout

burn out

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]

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.

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]