burton

¹ American  

[bur-tn] / ˈbɜr tn /

noun

Nautical.

1. any of various small tackles for use on shipboard.

2. Spanish burton.

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burton ² American  

[bur-tn] / ˈbɜr tn /

verb phrase

1. go for a burton

   1. to be lost, missing, or destroyed.

   2. to die.

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Burton ³ American  

[bur-tn] / ˈbɜr tn /

noun

1. Harold Hitz 1888–1964, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1945–58.

2. Sir Richard Richard Jenkins, 1925–84, English actor, born in Wales.

3. Sir Richard Francis, 1821–90, English explorer, Orientalist, and writer.

4. Robert Democritus Junior, 1577–1640, English clergyman and author.

5. a town in central Michigan.

6. a male given name.

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Burton ¹ British  

/ ˈbɜːtən /

noun

1. Sir Richard Francis . 1821–90, English explorer, Orientalist, and writer who discovered Lake Tanganyika with John Speke (1858); produced the first unabridged translation of The Thousand Nights and a Night (1885–88)

2. Richard , real name Richard Jenkins . 1925–84, Welsh stage and film actor: films include Becket (1964), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), and Equus (1977)

3. Robert , pen name Democritus Junior . 1577–1640, English clergyman, scholar, and writer, noted for his Anatomy of Melancholy (1621)

4. Tim. born 1958, US film director whose work includes Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Corpse Bride (2005), and Alice in Wonderland (2010)

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burton ² British  

/ ˈbɜːtən /

noun

1. nautical a kind of light hoisting tackle

2. slang

   1. to be broken, useless, or lost

   2. to die

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Etymology

Origin of burton¹

1695–1705; probably by metathesis from Breton ( takles ), Brytton ( takles ) (late 15th cent.); Breton, Briton

Origin of burton²

First recorded in 1940–45; origin unclear

Example Sentences

To reduce the burden on microglia, first author Yun Chen, PhD, then a graduate student working in the laboratories of Colonna and David M. Holtzman, MD, the Barbara Burton and Reuben M. Morriss III Distinguished Professor of Neurology at WashU Medicine, focused on astrocytes.

From Science Daily

But the stop-motion “The Girl Who Cried Pearls,” a grimy tale of greed that would delight Dickens and Tim Burton, has its fans — and is the only one of this group nominated at the Annie Awards.

From Los Angeles Times

Members of the Cwmavon Hornets and Davies' family ran the Richard Burton 10k run in memory of Davies in October 2025 and Paul made a video of support which was shared on Instagram.

From BBC

Wood did what Burton is doing now: appealing for clemency, an executive power outside of the court system where governors can grant mercy through reducing a sentence.

From Slate

This was the argument Wood made, and it is the one Burton makes now.

From Slate