flash burn

noun

1. a burn produced by brief exposure to intense, radiant heat, as from an explosion.

flash burn

noun

1. pathol a burn caused by momentary exposure to intense radiant heat

Word History and Origins

Origin of flash burn¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

I felt it rub up against my bare skin and had to turn my face away from the blinding light that came next—a flash burn that erased anything and everything that stood in its way.

From Literature

King sustained a flash burn in his left eye, requiring a trip to an ophthalmologist and a course of eye drops.

From Seattle Times

The supervisor who was standing with him, and came to his aid, also sustained a flash burn, but is now back on the job, he said.

From Washington Post

Even I am in that number, showing up to an old day job looking like the Phantom of the Opera after a flash burn incident.

From New York Times

I had flash burn across the backs of my hands and neck and mild acid burns across my lower legs from where I’d waded through the fire-fog.

From Literature