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burn down. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
burn down, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
burn down in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
burn down you have here. The definition of the word
burn down will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
burn down, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Verb
burn down (third-person singular simple present burns down, present participle burning down, simple past and past participle burned down or burnt down)
- (transitive) To cause (a structure) to burn to nothing.
The police are hoping to find the people who burned down the cottage.
- (intransitive, of a structure) To burn completely, so that nothing remains.
A fire which started in the bedroom caused the cottage to burn down.
2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 79: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.
- (transitive, slang) To kill (someone), especially by shooting; to attack (someone).
Derived terms
Translations
cause a structure to burn to nothing
completely burn so that nothing remains