burn through

use up something quickly (money, fuel, resources)

B2

What does "burn through sth" mean?

To burn through something means to use up a supply at a surprisingly fast or excessive rate. The emphasis is not just on consumption, but on the alarming speed — there is almost always a sense that the rate is unsustainable or wasteful. It is commonly used to describe financial resources (a company burning through its funding), energy sources (a device burning through its battery), or even abstract things like goodwill or time. The connotation is nearly always cautionary or negative, suggesting that the consumption is faster than it should be. Although it appears in business journalism and everyday conversation alike, it stays on the informal to neutral end of the scale.

Examples

How to use it

subject + burn through + resource

The most common pattern: an agent (person, company, or device) rapidly consumes a resource, which always follows 'through'.

The new app burns through mobile data at an extraordinary rate.

burn through + large quantity + in + time period

Adding a time frame highlights just how fast the consumption is happening, which strengthens the sense of alarm.

They burned through the entire marketing budget in three weeks.

be burning through + resource

The present continuous is used to describe rapid consumption that is currently happening or ongoing.

We're burning through our reserves much faster than we predicted.

burn through + it / them

Pronouns follow 'through' just like nouns do, since the verb cannot be separated.

He got a bonus last month but burned through it almost immediately.

will burn through + resource (if + condition)

Used to warn about future rapid depletion if a current pattern continues.

If you keep streaming videos all day, you'll burn through your data allowance by Tuesday.

Common Collocations

cashmoneysavingsfuelbatteriesdata

Common Mistakes

Separating the verb and particle

'Burn through' is inseparable, so the object must always come after 'through'. Placing the object between 'burn' and 'through' is ungrammatical in any construction.

✗ They burned the cash through in a month.
✓ They burned through the cash in a month.
Confusing 'burn through' with 'go through'

'Go through' is a neutral way to say you used or consumed something, while 'burn through' specifically implies an alarming or excessive speed. Using 'go through' when you mean to convey urgency or wastefulness loses that important connotation.

✗ The company went through its funding so fast that investors were shocked.
✓ The company burned through its funding so fast that investors were shocked.
Using the passive voice

'Burn through' in this sense does not work naturally in the passive — the focus is always on the agent doing the consuming, not the resource itself. Restructure the sentence to keep the consumer as the subject.

✗ The budget was burned through within two months.
✓ They burned through the budget within two months.

Usage

burn through is neutral to informal and works in both spoken and written English. It strongly implies speed and often suggests wastefulness, so it is not the same as simply 'use up'.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'burn through' always mean the supply is completely used up?

Not necessarily. 'Burn through' focuses on the rate of consumption rather than complete depletion — you can burn through most of your savings without reaching zero. If you want to emphasise that something is completely gone, 'run out of' is a better choice.

Can 'burn through' be used for non-financial things?

Yes, it's used for anything that can be consumed quickly — batteries, fuel, data, time, and even abstract resources like energy or goodwill. The key is that the object must be a finite supply that is being used up at speed.

Is 'burn through' okay to use in business writing?

It appears regularly in business journalism and startup contexts, especially with words like 'cash', 'budget', and 'runway'. It is considered neutral to informal, so it fits well in articles, reports written in a conversational tone, and presentations — but you might avoid it in highly formal documents or academic writing.

Can I say 'I have been burning through' — does that sound natural?

It works, but the present perfect continuous can sound slightly forced with this phrasal verb. The simpler present perfect ('I have burned through') or present continuous ('I am burning through') tends to feel more natural in most situations.

Does 'burn through' have a completely different meaning in some contexts?

Yes — in its literal sense, 'burn through' can mean that heat, fire, or acid physically cuts or melts its way through a material (for example, 'the acid burned through the pipe'). This is a distinct meaning. The 'use up rapidly' sense always involves a supply or resource as the object, so the context usually makes it clear which meaning is intended.

Ready to practise?

Practise 1,000+ English phrasal verbs with interactive gap-fill exercises.

Start Practising →