burn through cash

Meaning

To spend money very quickly, especially in a startup or business context before generating a profit. It implies that capital is being depleted rapidly, often raising concerns about the company's financial runway.

Examples

• The startup is burning through cash so fast they'll need another funding round by October.

  The startup is burning through cash so fast they'll need another funding round by October.

• We can't keep burning through cash on marketing campaigns that don't bring in any leads.

  We can't keep burning through cash on marketing campaigns that don't bring in any leads.

• Before they launched the app, they burned through cash just trying to hire the right developers.

  Before they launched the app, they burned through cash just trying to hire the right developers.

• If we continue to burn through cash at this rate, we will be out of business in six months.

  If we continue to burn through cash at this rate, we will be out of business in six months.

• They burned through cash on fancy office space instead of focusing on product development.

  They burned through cash on fancy office space instead of focusing on product development.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We burned out cash last month.

  ✓ We burned through cash last month.

  The correct phrasal verb is 'burn through,' meaning to consume quickly. 'Burn out' means to become exhausted or stop working.

• ✗ The company is burning cash through.

  ✓ The company is burning through cash.

  'Burn through' is a non-separable phrasal verb when used with the object 'cash' in this idiom; the object must come after the preposition 'through'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If we don't secure more investors soon, we will ___ within three months.

  💡 spend all our money very quickly

  Show answer

  burn through cash

• Startups often ___ during their initial development phase before they see any revenue.

  💡 spend capital rapidly

  Show answer

  burn through cash