Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

burn the midnight oil

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.06 in modern English

Syllables: burn the mid-night oil
IPA

30

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

2

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To work studiously, especially late into the night.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonym: pull an all-nighter"
"He was burning the midnight oil to finish his paper."
"She was burning the midnight oil to finish her part of the project."
"You worked at whatever task you were engaged in — churning out steel nuts for the car companies or churning out essays in college — until you were done, even if you had to burn the midnight oil. No excuses, no whining, no cheating."

Etymology

Originally referring to the act of burning lamp oil in oil lamps for light at night. The collocation midnight oil in its literal sense is attested from mid 17th c.

Inflected Forms

burns the midnight oil (present, singular) burning the midnight oil (participle, present) burned the midnight oil (participle, past) burned the midnight oil (past) burnt the midnight oil (participle, past) burnt the midnight oil (past)

Phrases

burn the candle at both ends

Frequently Paired Words

burn the candle at both ends candlewasting

Synonyms

elucubrate pull an all-nighter

Questions

What does burn the midnight oil mean?: To work studiously, especially late into the night.
Where does burn the midnight oil come from?: Originally referring to the act of burning lamp oil in oil lamps for light at night. The collocation midnight oil in its literal sense is attested from mid 17th c.

How to pronounce burn the midnight oil

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