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windburn

American

[wind-burn] / ˈwɪndˌbɜrn /

noun

an inflammation of the skin, especially that of the face and hands, caused by overexposure to the wind.

windburn British

/ ˈwɪndˌbɜːn /

noun

irritation and redness of the skin caused by prolonged exposure to winds of high velocity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

windburned adjective
windburnt adjective

Etymology

Origin of windburn

First recorded in 1920–25; wind ¹ + burn ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ice fishing leaves an experience afterglow, a pleasant, tingly emotional windburn.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2020

“We’ll find them,” said the guy behind the counter, whose green nameplate said NED and whose windburn and crushed hat-hair told me he’d had a good ski day.

From Salon • Sep. 26, 2018

They had a better chance of getting windburn.

From Chicago Tribune • May 2, 2012

By the middle of the second half, keeper Kasey Keller was getting windburn from the balls whooshing past him.

From Seattle Times • May 9, 2010

My face, with all its spots and windburn, felt like a mask made of wood.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023