burnout

American  

[burn-aut] / ˈbɜrnˌaʊt /

noun

1. a fire that is totally destructive of something.

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

3. Rocketry.

   1. the termination of effective combustion in a rocket engine, due to exhaustion of propellant.

   2. the end of the powered portion of a rocket's flight.

4. 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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Etymology

Origin of burnout

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

burnout

Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, called the current market action evidence of an “AI burnout trade.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

And so at the Humanoid Games, when one robot sprinter reacted to the starting gun by sitting down, then lying on its back and gazing at the sky, viewers saw a fellow casualty of burnout.

From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026

Between recovering from her first heartbreak and overcoming burnout from her debut album “Queen of the Clouds,” the remote town has offered her a seaside refuge ever since childhood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Anita Cleare, parenting expert and author of The Work/Parent Switch, said the overall cognitive drain spills over into our work lives and leads to unsustainable burnout.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

I said, and recognized at once that I was on the brink of a dangerous condition known as retail burnout.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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