burn away

(redirected from burned away)

burn away

1. To continue burning (as of something that is already ablaze). We watched helplessly as our house burned away despite the firefighters' efforts. The candles on the birthday cake burned away while Molly made a wish.

2. To obliterate with fire, as of an object or substance that has been ignited. It's getting cold in here again because all the logs in the fireplace have burned away.

3. To use heat to remove something, as in a medical procedure. In this usage, a noun can be used between "burn" and "away." The doctor told me that he will have to burn away some tissue to alleviate my pain.

burn something away

to remove or destroy something by burning. The doctor burned the wart away. The doctor burned away the wart.

burn away

1. [for something] to burn until there is no more of it. All the oil burned away. The logs burned away and the fireplace was cooling down.

2. for something to keep on burning. The little fire burned away brightly, warming the tiny room. The candle burned away, giving a tiny bit of light to the huge room.

See also: away, burn

References in classic literature ?

But for my aid his life would have burned away in torments within the first two years after the perpetration of his crime and thine.

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Nearly the whole of the outer covering was burned away, but it was soon evident that the contents were hardly touched.

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I entered and asked one of the matter, and it was told me that fire from above had fallen on the hut of the king as he lay sleeping, and all the roof of the hut was burned away, but that the rain had put out the fire.

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The cat- heads had burned away, and the two red-hot anchors had gone to the bottom, tearing out after them two hundred fathom of red-hot chain.

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Last month's devastating wildfires in the region burned away flood-resistant trees and grass.

Heavy rain, mudslides leave five dead in S. California

Described as the 'Holy Grail' of chemical catalysis, the process could provide a clean and efficient way of using the Earth's enormous reserves of methane which are currently largely wasted and burned away into the atmosphere.

Chemistry team present work to Google; in brief

I had a surgical procedure donethat repaired a valve at the top of my stomach that had completely burned away.

Disturbed's Lead Singer Was Trained as a Hazan. Now He's Covering 'The Sound of Silence.'

Adele Bellis, 23, whose right ear was burned away, called for all acid attackers to be given life, saying: "Acid seems to have become another weapon for sick, unstable individuals.

Victim: Life for all acid attacks

The beer, which has a scorched label with the top foil burned away, was saved by a fireman, Leroy Smith, who found six unopened bottles at the scene, which he secretly buried and later retrieved, the Daily Express reported.

Rare Lowenbrau lager bottle from 'doomed' Hindenburg airship up for grabs

The damaged tissue turns white, a sign that the green chlorophyll has been burned away.

Take the chill out of spring growth

Dr Zhou added that the diamond particles are burned away in the process, but the discovery could lead to future research into how diamonds could be created more cheaply.

Diamond discovery in candle flames

Wiens' features were all but burned away and he was left blind after hitting a power line while painting a church in November.

First full face transplant man makes appearance

Mr Wiens' features were all but burned away after he hit a power line while painting in 2008.

Face swap dad's joy; WORLDTODAY

Surgeons at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester identified a rogue piece of conducting tissue that was burned away with a wire probe.

Heart surgery carried out by robot

When the larger rocket burned away, the smaller rocket kept climbing until it too burned away.