burn the midnight oil

英：[bɜːn ðə ˈmɪdnaɪt ɔɪl]

美：[bɜːrn ðə ˈmɪdnaɪt ɔɪl]

verb

intransitive verb

to consume fuel and give off heat, light, and gases

A small fire burned on the hearth.

to undergo combustionalso: to undergo nuclear fission or nuclear fusion A constant fusion fire burns in its core, where the hydrogen atomic nuclei merge into helium. —Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics

Soft woods burn easily.—Marc Hayot

to contain a fire

a little stove burning in the corner

to give off light : shine, glow … an incandescent light bulb burns for 3,000 hours.—Jena Tesse Fox

a light burning in the window

to use freely without limits Whether you have money to burn or are on a tight budget, you can build an entire home gym …—Chris Woolston … the organization has been burning through money at an unsustainable rate for years …—Jim Ridley

children with energy to burn

to be hot

the burning sand

to produce or undergo an uncomfortable or painful sensation like that of being injured by fire My tongue was burning from the hot peppers. There was also a menacing pinprick sensation along the top of my head as my feet burned on the asphalt.—Peter Merkl

ears burning from the cold

to become emotionally excited or agitated: such as

She was burning to tell her story.

to undergo alteration or destruction by the action of fire or heat The potatoes burned to a crisp.

The house burned down.

informal to die in the electric chair

to force or make a way by or as if by burning

Her words burned into his heart.

to suffer sunburn Any exposed part of your body, including your earlobes, scalp and lips, can burn.—Laurel Kelly

She burns easily.

transitive verb

to cause (something) to undergo combustionespecially: to destroy (something) by fire

They burned all his letters.

to use (something) as fuel We used to burn wood to cook and heat all over Alaska.—Robert Seitz

This furnace burns gas.

to use (something) up : consume If Philadelphia managed a stop, they could burn a timeout and still have plenty of time for another offensive possession to respond to a potential field goal.—Greg Wong

burn calories

to transform (something) by exposure to heat or fire

burn wood into charcoal

to produce (something) by burning

burned a hole in his sleeve

to record digital data or music on (an optical disc) using a laseralso: to record (data or music) in this way burn songs onto a disk … one of the most frequent ways to distribute entertainment is to burn a DVD movie onto a rewritable compact disc. —Hugh Grant

burn a CD

to injure or damage (something or someone) by or as if by exposure to fire, heat, or radiation : scorch burned himself with the hot pan … cayenne pepper will burn your eyes.—John Green

burned her hand

to execute (something) by burning

Heretics are no longer burned at the stake.—Roger Scruton

informal electrocute

irritate, annoy—often used with up

It really burns me up!

to subject to misfortune, mistreatment, or deception—often used in passive… people with more money than sense are going to get burned.—Stuart Jeffries

has been burned in love

to beat or score on It's a way of saying we're going to burn the other team at the game …—Zaimarie De Guzman

burned the defense with a touchdown pass

noun (1)

an act, process, instance, or result of burning: such as

injury or damage resulting from exposure to fire, heat, caustics, electricity, or certain radiations

a burned area

a burn on the tabletop

an abrasion (as of the skin) having the appearance of a burn

rope burns

a burning sensation

the burn of iodine on a cut

the firing of a rocket engine in flight

angerespecially: increasing fury —used chiefly in the phrase slow burn

slang a cutting remark intended to embarrass or humiliate someone—used chiefly in the phrase sick burnDuring a lecture on conservatism at an Ivy League university, a 65-year-old guest speaker delivered a sick burn to the president of the United States.—Amanda Arnold

But plenty of us peasants know the feeling: We have stared down an unraveling romantic relationship and wanted desperately to spew one more sick burn or two about a now-former partner.—Alana Massey

noun (2)

creek sense 1

Verb Middle English birnen, from Old English byrnan, intransitive verb, bærnan, transitive verb; akin to Old High German brinnan to burn Noun (2) Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German brunno spring of water

The first known use of burn was before the 12th century

title pagenoun

a page of a book bearing the title

mercynoun

kind and gentle treatment of someone (as a wrongdoer or opponent) having no right to it

a disposition to show mercy

a blessing as an act of divine love

the mercies of God

a fortunate happening

it's a mercy the weather cooled off

kindness shown to victims of misfortune

works of mercy among the poor

tissue papernoun

a thin paper used especially to wrap delicate articles

mettlenoun

quality of temperament or disposition

strength of spirit

ability to keep going : staying power

burn1 of 2verb

to be or set on fire

to feel hot or inflamed

the burning sand

to become excited

burn with anger

scorch entry 1 sense 1

burned the toast

to appear as if on fire : glow

leave a light burning in the window

to destroy by fire

burn trash

to use as fuel your body burns food

this furnace burns gas

to produce by the action of fire or heat

burn a hole in the rug

to record data or music on a disk using a laser

burn a CD

to injure or change by or as if by fire or heat

burn out a bearing

to suffer sunburn

she burns easily

burn2 of 2noun

injury, damage, or effect produced by or as if by burning