# burn up

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/burn-up
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to be destroyed by fire

phrasal verb · CEFR B1

to be completely destroyed by fire or heat.

For teachers: to be entirely consumed or destroyed by combustion or extreme heat.

- Small pieces of space rock usually burn up when they enter Earth's atmosphere.
- The satellite was designed to burn up upon re-entry to prevent large debris from reaching the planet's surface.

Usage: Often used intransitively when describing objects entering the atmosphere.

### 2. to use energy

phrasal verb · CEFR B2

to use or consume energy, calories, or fuel.

For teachers: to expend or consume energy, calories, or fuel through physical activity or mechanical operation.

- Running for thirty minutes helps you burn up a lot of calories.
- High-intensity interval training is an efficient way to burn up stored glycogen during a short workout session.

Usage: Transitive; takes an object like 'calories', 'energy', or 'fuel'.

### 3. to feel very angry

phrasal verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to feel very annoyed or angry about something.

For teachers: to experience or cause a feeling of intense annoyance or indignation.

- It really burns me up when people are rude to waiters.
- The blatant injustice of the situation continued to burn him up long after the meeting had concluded.

Usage: Can be used intransitively ('he was burning up') or transitively ('it burns me up').

### 4. to have a fever

phrasal verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to have a very high body temperature because you are sick.

For teachers: to experience a high fever or significant physical inflammation.

- The child was burning up, so his mother called the doctor immediately.
- By midnight, the patient was burning up with a fever that refused to break despite the medication.

Usage: Intransitive; usually describes a person's physical state.

## Examples

- The paper will burn up if it gets too close to the candle.
- Space debris usually burns up when it enters the Earth's atmosphere due to the high speed and friction.
- The satellite was designed to burn up upon re-entry to ensure that no large fragments would pose a risk to populated areas on the ground.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: the particle 'up' here functions as a completive, meaning the action is finished or the object is totally destroyed, similar to 'eat up' or 'clean up'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.