burn out
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (intransitive):
- To stop functioning or become useless, especially due to excessive heat, stress, or overuse. This often implies a sudden or complete failure after a period of strain.
- To become exhausted, physically or emotionally, from prolonged stress or overwork.
Verb (transitive):
- To cause something to stop functioning or become useless by overuse, excessive heat, or electrical overload.
- To cause someone to become exhausted from prolonged stress or overwork.
Usage Examples
- Verb (intransitive):
- The old motor finally burned out after years of constant use.
- Many healthcare workers are at risk of burning out due to the intense demands of their jobs.
- Verb (transitive):
- He burned out the clutch by riding it too hard.
- The relentless pace of the startup burned him out, so he decided to take a long break.
Advanced Usage
- "to be burned out": This adjectival phrase describes the state of being exhausted or no longer functional.
- She felt completely burned out and needed a vacation.
- The burned-out shell of the car was all that remained after the fire.
Variants and Related Words
- Burnout (noun): The state of physical or emotional exhaustion, especially as a result of prolonged stress.
- Job burnout is a serious issue in many high-pressure industries.
- Burned-out (adjective): Describing something that has been destroyed by fire or has ceased to function; or a person who is exhausted.
- They explored the burned-out building.
- He was a burned-out teacher looking for a new career.
Synonyms
- Fail, break down, give out: For mechanical/electrical failure.
- Exhaust, wear out, fatigue: For personal exhaustion.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Burn out is itself a phrasal verb. Its meaning is covered in the definitions above.
Related Idioms
- To burn the candle at both ends: To overwork oneself by doing too much, especially by staying up late and getting up early, which can lead to burning out.
- If you keep burning the candle at both ends, you're going to burn out.
Verb
- melt, break, or become otherwise unusable
- The lightbulbs blew out
- The fuse blew