1 B1 neutral
To use up calories, energy, or fat through physical exercise.
"She went for a long run to burn off the extra calories from the birthday cake."
separable
burn off
B1 neutral separable transitive
To remove something by burning, or to use up energy or calories through physical activity.
In plain English
To get rid of something by burning it, or to use up energy by exercising.
What does "burn off" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To remove vegetation, waste material, or a substance by burning.
"The farmers burned off the dry grass at the end of summer to prepare the fields."
separable
3 B2 neutral
(Of mist, fog, or cloud) to be dispersed by the heat of the sun.
"The morning fog should burn off by about ten o'clock, leaving a clear sunny day."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To use fire to remove or eliminate something from a surface.
Actually means
To get rid of something by burning it, or to use up energy by exercising.
Usage tip
The 'use up calories/energy' sense is very common in health and fitness contexts. The agricultural sense (burning off stubble or undergrowth) is also well established. The meteorological sense (mist or fog burning off in sunlight) is used in weather forecasting.
Words that pair with "burn off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
calories energy fat fog stubble steam
How to conjugate "burn off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
burn off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
burns off
he/she/it
Past simple
burned off
yesterday
Past participle
burned off
have + pp
-ing form
burning off
continuous
Hear "burn off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "burn off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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