burn one's toast

verb

To cause inconvenience; to spoil someone's fun or enjoyment of something.

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Meanings

verbburn one's toast (third-person singular simple present burns one's toast, present participle burning one's toast, simple past and past participle burned one's toast or burnt one's toast)

present singular third person burns one's toast · participle present burning one's toast · participle past burned one's toast · past burned one's toast · participle past burnt one's toast · past burnt one's toast

  1. To cause inconvenience; to spoil someone's fun or enjoyment of something.

    He talks as if I have no right to be upset, as if all he has done is inconvenience me. "Oops, I didn't mean to burn your toast, sorry." That's his tone. He acts as if it's his right to do whatever he wants to me.

    2015, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland

Origin

From sense 3 of toast (a person or group held in high esteem).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

burn one's toast. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20toast

MLA

“burn one's toast.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20toast. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “burn one's toast,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burn%20one's%20toast.

Source: burn one's toast on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.