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Burn out meaning

Burn out means to become so tired from working too hard that you cannot go on. It can also mean to stop working because of too much heat or use.

Check yourself: 3 questions

burn out

burn out · burned · burning

B2No object+2 more meanings

If you work every weekend, you’ll burn out.

Burn out meanings and examples

3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1become so tired from working too hard that you cannot go on
  2. 2stop working because of too much heat or use
  3. 3stop burning because nothing is left to burn
  1. 1

    Become so tired from working too hard that you cannot go on

    burn out

    B2No object

    • If you work every weekend, you’ll burn out.
    • Many young nurses burn out in their first few years.
    • Take a real holiday before you burn yourself out.
  2. 2

    Stop working because of too much heat or use

    burn out

    B2No object

    • The motor burned out after ten hours of use.
    • One of the bulbs in the hall has burnt out.
    • Don’t run the old fan all night, or it’ll burn out.
  3. 3

    Stop burning because nothing is left to burn

    burn out

    B2No object

    • We let the campfire burn out before we went to bed.
    • The candle had burned out by the time we got home.
    • The forest fire finally burned itself out.
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Is burn out separable?

Burn out usually has no object: I burned out last year. When you cause it, use a reflexive pronoun in the middle: You’ll burn yourself out.

The noun is one word, burnout: job burnout. The adjective is burnt-out or burned-out: a burnt-out teacher. UK uses burnt and burned; US uses burned.

Verb tenses for burn out

PresentI burn out · she burns out
Pastburned out
Present perfecthave burned out
-ing formburning out

Common mistakes with burn out

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: I’m burning out myself with this job.

    Right: I’m burning myself out with this job.

    The reflexive pronoun goes between burn and out.

  • Wrong: After the exams I was totally burn out.

    Right: After the exams I was totally burnt out.

    After be, use the adjective form burnt out or burned out.

  • Wrong: She is having a burn out.

    Right: She is suffering from burnout.

    The noun is burnout, one word, and it is uncountable.

Synonyms and opposites of burn out

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

Burn out quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1He worked eighty hours a week for a year and then ___.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3“The kitchen light burned out.” What do you need?

Find your level

The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.

Test yourself on burn outTake the full test

Burn out FAQ

Questions people ask about burn out.

Is it burnout or burn out?

Burn out, two words, is the verb: Teachers often burn out. Burnout, one word, is the noun: signs of burnout.

What is the difference between burn out and burn down?

A person or a bulb burns out. A building burns down when fire destroys it: The old barn burned down.

Is it burned out or burnt out?

Both are correct. Burnt out is more common in UK English and burned out in US English.

Use burn out in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

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