burned

Burned is the past tense and past participle of the verb burn. It is primarily used in American English; in many other varieties, burnt is preferred for the simple past and past participle forms. However, both spellings occur in modern usage depending on region and context.

As an adjective, burned describes something that has undergone burning and often shows charring or damage, such as a burned tree, burned food, or a burned-out engine. Burned and burnt can be used attributively; chemical or material contexts may distinguish burnt as more formal.

In medicine, a burn is a wound resulting from heat, electricity, chemicals, or radiation. Burns are classified by depth: first-degree (superficial), second-degree (partial thickness), and third-degree (full thickness). Treatment emphasizes cooling, wound care, and medical assessment for severity; small superficial burns are usually managed at home.

The term is also used figuratively, as in burned bridges, burned by high costs, or in phrases like burned into memory. Spelling varies by region and style; examples include burned (American) and burnt (British). The phrase burned-out describes exhaustion or a vehicle or system inoperative due to damage or overuse.