Burn The Midnight Oil

B2 16+

Pronunciation: /bɜrn ðə ˈmɪdnaɪt ɔɪl/

Definitions of burn the midnight oil

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

Example Sentences

A1 I heard my boss say he had to burn the midnight oil to finish the project on time.

A2 She was exhausted from burning the midnight oil studying for her exams.

B1 The team had to burn the midnight oil to prepare for the upcoming presentation.

B2 Despite burning the midnight oil, they were unable to meet the deadline.

C1 The author burned the midnight oil to complete the final edits of his novel.

C2 After burning the midnight oil for weeks, the project was finally completed to perfection.

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

Example Sentences

A1 I burn the midnight oil studying for my English exam.

A2 She burns the midnight oil to finish her project on time.

B1 We burned the midnight oil preparing for the presentation.

B2 He has been burning the midnight oil working on his novel for months.

C1 Despite burning the midnight oil, she couldn't complete the research paper on time.

C2 The team burned the midnight oil to meet the deadline for the project.

article a word that specifies a noun, such as 'the', 'a', or 'an'

Example Sentences

A1 I need to burn the midnight oil to finish my homework.

A2 She burned the midnight oil studying for her exams.

B1 As a dedicated employee, he often burns the midnight oil to meet deadlines.

B2 The team burned the midnight oil to prepare for the important presentation.

C1 Despite his busy schedule, he always finds time to burn the midnight oil working on his passion project.

C2 The author burned the midnight oil to complete the final draft of her novel before the deadline.

Examples of burn the midnight oil in a Sentence

formal During the busy season, employees often have to burn the midnight oil to meet project deadlines.

informal I have to burn the midnight oil tonight to finish my assignment on time.

slang I'll be burning the midnight oil to get this report done before the deadline.

figurative Sometimes in life, you have to burn the midnight oil to achieve your goals.

Grammatical Forms of burn the midnight oil

past tense

burned

plural

burn the midnight oils

comparative

burning the midnight oil more than before

superlative

burning the midnight oil the most out of all

present tense

burn the midnight oil

future tense

will burn the midnight oil

perfect tense

have burned the midnight oil

continuous tense

are burning the midnight oil

singular

burns the midnight oil

positive degree

burn the midnight oil

infinitive

to burn the midnight oil

gerund

burning the midnight oil

participle

burned the midnight oil

Origin and Evolution of burn the midnight oil

First Known Use: 1632 year
Language of Origin: English
Story behind the word: The phrase 'burn the midnight oil' originated from the practice of staying up late into the night to work by the light of an oil lamp or candle.
Evolution of the word: Originally used quite literally to describe the act of working late into the night using oil lamps or candles, the phrase has evolved to symbolize working diligently or putting in extra effort to complete a task.