Burnout
a fire that is totally destructive of something.
Also, burn-out. fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.
Rocketry.
the termination of effective combustion in a rocket engine, due to exhaustion of propellant.
the end of the powered portion of a rocket’s flight.
Electricity. the breakdown of a lamp, motor, or other electrical device due to the heat created by the current flowing through it.
Contemporary Examples
Study Says Doctors More Burned Out Than Others, But It’s Not Really a Malady Kent Sepkowitz August 22, 2012
Study Says Doctors More Burned Out Than Others, But It’s Not Really a Malady Kent Sepkowitz August 22, 2012
Meet America’s Overworked Caregivers Gail Sheehy April 29, 2010
Study Says Doctors More Burned Out Than Others, But It’s Not Really a Malady Kent Sepkowitz August 22, 2012
Historical Examples
The Trouble with Telstar John Berryman
Masters of Space Edward Elmer Smith
n.
Total and incapacitating exhaustion; inability to go on •The term apparently originated among psychotherapists, describing their own overstressed condition: Many report lawyer burnout after two or three years in practice/ high rate of teacher burnout (1970s+)
Boredom; apathy; satiation •The currency of this and the previous sense is due to the various narcotics users’ meanings of burn out: I feared polka burnout, but it never happened. I became a polkaholic (1970s+)
(also burn) A user or abuser of drugs, liquor, etc: There are two groups in my school, the jocks and burn-outs. The burn-outs smoke and take pills and drink/ except for the long hairs (or ”burns,” short for ”burnouts”) who hang out on the steps and smoke (1970s+ Teenagers)
A very high-speed hot-rod race (1950s+ Hot rodders)
An informal match where players try to throw a baseball so hard that it cannot be caught without undue pain
The point where a rocket or missile has exhausted its fuel (1950s+ Astronautics)
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- Road
a long, narrow stretch with a smoothed or paved surface, made for traveling by motor vehicle, carriage, etc., between two or more points; street or highway. a way or course: the road to peace. a railroad. Often, roads. Also called roadstead. Nautical. a partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may […]
- Burn-rubber
burn rubber Drive very fast, as in We’ll have to burn rubber to get there in time. In this bit of automotive jargon, the rubber refers to tires that heat up when they rotate suddenly at great speed. [ ; mid-1900s ]
- Burnsides
full whiskers and a mustache worn with the chin clean-shaven. Historical Examples The Civil War Through the Camera Henry W. (Henry William) Elson The Civil War Through the Camera Henry W. (Henry William) Elson The Civil War Through the Camera Henry W. (Henry William) Elson The Civil War Through the Camera Henry W. (Henry William) […]
- Burn-someone-down
burn someone down To shoot someone To deflate; humiliate: He’s so cocky someone has to burn him down (1930s+)