Dictionary

burn down en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Meanings

1. (transitive) To cause (a structure) to burn to nothing.
   • The police are hoping to find the people who burned down the cottage.
2. (intransitive, of a structure) To burn completely, so that nothing remains.
   • The first Earl's Court station (1871) was a wooden hut in the middle of a market garden. It served a District connection between West Brompton and the West London Line. It managed to burn down in 1875, and the Earl's Court of today dates from 1878. 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 79:
   • A fire which started in the bedroom caused the cottage to burn down.
3. (slang, transitive) To kill (someone), especially by shooting; to attack (someone).

Forms

Deriveds

burndown · burn one down

Relateds

burn out · burn up · burn off

Synonyms

char up · cinder · burn up · incinerate · scathe · burn to a crisp · burn down · cremate · burn up · forburn · forsweal · burn away · combust · burn · burn away · torch · combure

Translations (43)

de abbrennen (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · pl spalać (completely burn so that nothing remains) · pl spalić (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · fr carboniser (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · pl spalić (completely burn so that nothing remains) · sv brinna upp (completely burn so that nothing remains) · cmn 燒毀 /烧毁 (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · ru сгоре́ть дотла́ (completely burn so that nothing remains) · sv bränna ner (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · es incendiarse (completely burn so that nothing remains) · ru сжечь дотла́ (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · nl afbranden (completely burn so that nothing remains) · de niederbrennen (completely burn so that nothing remains) · cmn 焚毀 /焚毁 (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · fi palaa poroksi (completely burn so that nothing remains) · fi polttaa (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · de abbrennen (completely burn so that nothing remains) · hu leég (completely burn so that nothing remains) · af afbrand (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · nl platbranden (completely burn so that nothing remains) · gl carbonizar (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · bg опожарявам (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · gl carbonizar (completely burn so that nothing remains) · fi polttaa maan tasalle (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · sv brinna ner (completely burn so that nothing remains) · hu leéget (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · sa ओषति (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · pl spalać (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · cmn 燒光 /烧光 (completely burn so that nothing remains) · de niederbrennen (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · sv elda upp (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · es incendiar (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · la exūrō (completely burn so that nothing remains) · la combūrō (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · es arrasar (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · la exūrō (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · pt carbonizar (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · cmn 燒掉 /烧掉 (completely burn so that nothing remains) · nl platbranden (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · fi palaa maan tasalle (completely burn so that nothing remains) · nl afbranden (cause a structure to burn to nothing) · fr se carboniser (completely burn so that nothing remains) · la combūrō (completely burn so that nothing remains)