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

Derived Forms

• ˈburningly, adverb

Other Words From

• burning·ly adverb
• non·burning adjective noun
• un·burning 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 effect is even further fueled by our oceans, which absorb more than 90 percent of the heat caused by burning fossil fuels, producing water vapor that increases precipitation.

From Salon

Murray adds that he didn’t know how to say “no” in a healthy way and that he was burning the candle at both ends.

From Los Angeles Times

One of them is the practice of farmers burning crop remains to clear their fields quickly to sow seeds for the next yield.

From BBC

"In the frozen trenches of Donetsk region and in the burning steppes of Kherson region under shells, hail, and anti-aircraft guns - we are fighting for the right to life."

From BBC

“The impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly dramatic, yet we still see no sign that burning of fossil fuels has peaked,” said lead author Prof Pierre Friedlingstein of the University of Exeter.

From BBC

Related Words

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