burns

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of burn.

   The furnace burns natural gas to heat the entire building.

   Strong acid burns through soft metal in a matter of seconds.

   Note

   The present-tense form for a single subject (he, she, it, a furnace), and it serves both halves of the verb. With an object it means setting something alight, ruining it with heat or injuring with heat or chemicals (the cook burns the toast). Without one it means being on fire or overheating (the candle burns low). Check for an object to tell which is meant.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of burn.

   Firefighters often suffer minor burns while battling a blaze.

   This ointment soothes burns and helps reduce scarring.

   Note

   Every sense of the noun can be counted, so the plural reaches beyond injuries. In slang it means a run of sharp insults: a comedian's best burns, an exchange of sick burns. Keep the register in mind. In a medical or first-aid setting the word points to injuries from heat, cold, electricity, radiation or caustic chemicals, and the playful sense would jar.

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