afterburn
noun
af·ter·burn
ˈaf-tər-ˌbərn 
1
: a hot, spicy, or burning sensation that remains in the mouth after consumption of a food or beverage
And at 13.5 percent alcohol, it leaves a noticeable afterburn on the palate.—
Howard G. Goldberg
Howard G. Goldberg2
: a period of lingering anger, fear, bitterness, etc., that follows a painful or traumatic event
… the afterburn of a hateful divorce.—Gillian Flynn
Gillian Flynn3
: the consumption of calories by the body in the period following exercise
Is the afterburn real? Whether the metabolism speeds up for hours after exercise is an old question, and studies over the years have produced mixed results.—News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)
News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)Examples of afterburn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hence, perhaps, its bewildering lack of afterburn.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2021
Research has shown that the afterburn effects are in fact negligible and not as beneficial as advertised, according to Otey.
—Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 12 July 2022
Richard understands how Sixties idealism wound up being a kind of lingering afterburn that made everybody itchy and unhappy.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 7 Apr. 2021
Except, of course, for the people who don't have the luxury of not still smelling the afterburn in the air. Scarier than the Chart is the Thing.
—Caissie St. Onge, EW.com, 20 Aug. 2020
Similarly, while higher-intensity workouts might result in a slight post-workout afterburn (research conflicts on this issue), those short-term results don’t affect what your metabolism will be the following day.
—Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2020
Still, research shows that high-intensity training produces a bigger afterburn effect than steady-state training does.
—Lauren Bedosky, SELF, 16 Dec. 2017
Bueno’s house special is a chicken breast in her house recipe mole, brown and sweet but with a notable afterburn.
—Bud Kennedy, star-telegram.com, 5 July 2017
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Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2021
Research has shown that the afterburn effects are in fact negligible and not as beneficial as advertised, according to Otey.
—Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 12 July 2022
Richard understands how Sixties idealism wound up being a kind of lingering afterburn that made everybody itchy and unhappy.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 7 Apr. 2021
Except, of course, for the people who don't have the luxury of not still smelling the afterburn in the air. Scarier than the Chart is the Thing.
—Caissie St. Onge, EW.com, 20 Aug. 2020
Similarly, while higher-intensity workouts might result in a slight post-workout afterburn (research conflicts on this issue), those short-term results don’t affect what your metabolism will be the following day.
—Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2020
Still, research shows that high-intensity training produces a bigger afterburn effect than steady-state training does.
—Lauren Bedosky, SELF, 16 Dec. 2017
Bueno’s house special is a chicken breast in her house recipe mole, brown and sweet but with a notable afterburn.
—Bud Kennedy, star-telegram.com, 5 July 2017
Dictionary Entries Near afterburn
Cite this Entry
“Afterburn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afterburn. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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