Bunsen burner

American  

noun

1. a type of gas burner, commonly used in chemical laboratories, with which a very hot, practically nonluminous flame is obtained by allowing air to enter at the base and mix with the gas.

---

Bunsen burner British  

/ ˈbʌnsən /

noun

1. a gas burner, widely used in scientific laboratories, consisting of a metal tube with an adjustable air valve at the base

---

Bunsen burner Scientific  

1. A small gas burner used in laboratories. It consists of a vertical metal tube connected to a gas fuel source, with adjustable holes at its base. These holes allow air to enter the tube and mix with the gas in order to make a very hot flame.

---

Etymology

Origin of Bunsen burner

First recorded in 1865–70; named after R. W. Bunsen

Example Sentences

Throw on a lab coat, spark a Bunsen burner, and stay close to the eyewash station, but hopefully it won’t come to that.

From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025

Ian Fenn, who has since retired from Burnage Academy for Boys in Manchester, said Abedi could "barely light a Bunsen burner" while a pupil at his school.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2023

Occasionally, they barter or resell groceries for prized items such as a Bunsen burner, which they use to cook dishes such as vegetable soup over rice.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2022

The heat given off when you operate a Bunsen burner is equal to the enthalpy change of the methane combustion reaction that takes place, since it occurs at the essentially constant pressure of the atmosphere.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

My heart lit up like a Bunsen burner.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas