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burn the candle at both ends

burn
B b

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [burn]
    • /bɜrn stressed ði ˈkæn dl æt boʊθ end/
    • /bɜːn ðə ˈkæn.dl̩ ət bəʊθ end/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [burn]
    • /bɜrn stressed ði ˈkæn dl æt boʊθ end/

Definitions of burn the candle at both ends words

  • noun burn the candle at both ends to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work 3
  • noun burn the candle at both ends to work or, esp., play too much so that one's energy is dissipated 3
  • verb without object burn the candle at both ends to undergo rapid combustion or consume fuel in such a way as to give off heat, gases, and, usually, light; be on fire: The fire burned in the grate. 1
  • verb without object burn the candle at both ends (of a fireplace, furnace, etc.) to contain a fire. 1
  • verb without object burn the candle at both ends to feel heat or a physiologically similar sensation; feel pain from or as if from a fire: The wound burned and throbbed. 1
  • verb without object burn the candle at both ends to give off light or to glow brightly: The lights in the house burned all night. 1
See all 49 definitions of burn the candle at both ends

Information block about the term

Origin of burn the candle at both ends

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English bernen, brennen, Old English beornan (intransitive), (cognate with Gothic, Old High German brinnan), and Old English bærnan (transitive), (cognate with Gothic brannjan, Old High German brennen)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Burn the candle at both ends

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Burn the candle at both ends

burn the candle at both ends popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

Synonyms for burn the candle at both ends

verb burn the candle at both ends

  • overdo — to do to excess; overindulge in: to overdo dieting.
  • slave — a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant.
  • bite off more than one can chew — to attempt a task beyond one's capability
  • go too far — take sth past acceptable limits
All 6 Synonyms of burn the candle at both ends

See also

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