burner

noun

burn·​er ˈbər-nər 

plural burners

1

: one that burns: such as

a

: the part of a fuel-burning or heat-producing device (such as a furnace or stove) where the flame or heat is produced

b

: a device for recording data on an optical disk

2

: an athlete who possesses great speed

3

: burner phone

… I leaned over and checked the glove box. There were two cell phones in there, both pre-paid burners with a set number of pre-paid minutes, both still in their drugstore packaging, effectively untraceable if bought with cash …

—Lee Child

4

medical : stinger sense 4

He missed two games late in the season because of what athletic trainers call "cervical burners," a fairly appropriate description of the pain that would originate in Wadsworth's neck and shoot down his body.

—Emily Dorman

see also burner account

Examples of burner in a Sentence

The burner on the furnace isn't working.

The computer comes equipped with a CD burner.

Recent Examples on the Web

If your burners haven’t soaked for a full 10 minutes yet, go ahead and commit a few more minutes to cleaning out your toaster’s crumb tray. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024

So in a climate where the burner is dim indeed, and where some of us turn into poptimists partly because there is no viable rock alternative, a show like one of these can keep your gas flame lit for a whole ‘nother year all by itself. —Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2024

Meals are cooked using a charcoal grill, induction burners and other tech — such as dehydrators slowly drawing the moisture from cinnamon, seaweed and more. —Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2024

Give each burner a knob, because there's no faster or better way to adjust temperature. —Joe Ray, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing burner

• back burner
• barn burner
• Bunsen burner
• burner account
• burner phone
• front burner
• on the back burner
• on the front burner

Kids Definition

burner

noun

burn·​er ˈbər-nər 

: one that burns: as

a

: the part of a fuel-burning or heat-producing device (as a furnace or stove) where a flame or heat is produced

b

: a device for recording data on an optical disk

Medical Definition

burner

noun

burn·​er ˈbər-nər 

: stinger sense 2