burn out

VERB

become drained

Synonyms

WEAK

become exhausted exhaust fatigue get tired grow weary run down run out of steam stress out tire wear down wear out

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The alternative isn’t great, either: You stay in a miserable job and burn out before you’re 30.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

“Otherwise, you’ll burn out and abandon it altogether.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

“They either burn out or they get dropped,” Stewart says.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

"It almost looked like it was just sitting on the surface. It was going to burn out."

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2026

“Lantern wouldn’t burn out in this time,” the boy said.

From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong