burn the midnight oil
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To work or study late into the night.
Literally: To keep an oil lamp burning past midnight.
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Describing late-night work, especially before a deadline.
Register: neutralConnotation: diligentEra: 17th century – present
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
She burned the midnight oil all week to finish her thesis.
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “burn the midnight oil” mean?
To work or study late into the night. Literally: To keep an oil lamp burning past midnight.
Is “burn the midnight oil” formal or informal?
burn the midnight oil is generally neutral; connotation: diligent.