book-burning

noun

The practice of destroying books by fire because of moral, religious or political objections to the material they contain.

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Meanings

nounbook-burning (countable and uncountable, plural book-burnings)

plural book-burnings

  1. countableuncountableThe practice of destroying books by fire because of moral, religious or political objections to the material they contain.
  2. countableuncountableAn event where books are burned.

    […] only a month after 75 students there held a public bookburning of their student handbok for its gay content.

    1981 February 14, Joanne Brown, “Feminist Starts Uproar By Putting Up Sticker”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 29, page 3

Translations

Finnish kirjarovio
  • kirjarovioevent where books are burned
French autodafé
  • autodaféevent where books are burned
Polish palenie książek
  • palenie książekevent where books are burned
Cite this entry
APA

book-burning. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/book-burning

MLA

“book-burning.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/book-burning. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “book-burning,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/book-burning.

Source: book-burning on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.