Burn the Midnight Oil
Meaning: To stay up late at night working or studying.
When you “burn the midnight oil,” it means you stay up very late working or studying. This phrase goes back to the time when people used oil lamps at night. Today, it’s used to describe working late into the night to meet a deadline or finish an important task. For example, “She burned the midnight oil to finish her college essay.”
How to use it
It’s common and neutral, used about students before exams and workers before deadlines. It’s about hard work, not partying or staying out late for fun. The past form is “burned the midnight oil” (British English also uses “burnt”).
Examples
- I burned the midnight oil to finish the report before Monday.
- Exams are next week, so I’ll be burning the midnight oil.
- The team burned the midnight oil to get the app ready for launch.
A common mistake
Keep “the”: burn the midnight oil, not “burn midnight oil” or “burn the night oil.”
Say it out loud
Tabbi Daily gives you one short lesson like this every day. Listen, record yourself and hear how you sound. Free, no account needed.
Source: The Idioms