burn out
/bɜːrn aʊt/
Meaning
To "burn out" means to become completely exhausted, unmotivated, or physically ill due to prolonged stress or overworking. In professional contexts, it describes the state of mental collapse that occurs when work demands exceed a person's capacity to cope. It can be used as a verb ("to burn out") or a noun ("burnout").
Examples
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If you keep working eighty hours a week without taking a break, you're going to burn out.
If you keep working eighty hours a week without taking a break, you're going to burn out.
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Many software engineers burn out after just a few years of high-pressure startup life.
Many software engineers burn out after just a few years of high-pressure startup life.
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I had to take a week off because I was starting to burn out from managing three projects at once.
I had to take a week off because I was starting to burn out from managing three projects at once.
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To prevent your team from burning out, make sure to distribute the workload evenly.
To prevent your team from burning out, make sure to distribute the workload evenly.
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She completely burned out after studying for her professional certifications while working full-time.
She completely burned out after studying for her professional certifications while working full-time.
Common Mistakes
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✗ I feel very burning out after this stressful week.
✓ I feel very burnt out after this stressful week.
Use the past participle "burnt out" (or "burned out") as an adjective to describe the state of exhaustion.
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✗ The heavy workload burned out to me.
✓ The heavy workload burned me out.
"Burn out" is a transitive phrasal verb when describing what caused the exhaustion. The object goes before "out."
Related Expressions
Practice
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If you don't take a vacation soon, you're going to ___.
💡 To become extremely exhausted from overworking.
Show answer
burn out
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Working late every night is a surefire way to ___ your development team.
💡 To cause someone to suffer from extreme stress and exhaustion.
Show answer
burn out