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torch
1[tawrch]
noun
a light to be carried in the hand, consisting of some combustible substance, as resinous wood, or of twisted flax or the like soaked with tallow or other flammable substance, ignited at the upper end.
something considered as a source of illumination, enlightenment, guidance, etc..
the torch of learning.
any of various lamplike devices that produce a hot flame and are used for soldering, burning off paint, etc.
Slang.an arsonist.
Chiefly British.flashlight.
verb (used without object)
to burn or flare up like a torch.
verb (used with object)
to subject to the flame or light of a torch, as in order to burn, sear, solder, or illuminate.
Slang.to set fire to maliciously, especially in order to collect insurance.
torch
2[tawrch]
verb (used with object)
Masonry.to point (the joints between roofing slates) with a mixture of lime and hair.
torch
/ ɔːʃ /
noun
US and Canadian word: flashlight.a small portable electric lamp powered by one or more dry batteries
a wooden or tow shaft dipped in wax or tallow and set alight
anything regarded as a source of enlightenment, guidance, etc
the torch of evangelism
any apparatus that burns with a hot flame for welding, brazing, or soldering
to be in love with, esp unrequitedly
to set fire to; burn down
the looted monastery was put to the torch
verb
slang(tr) to set fire to, esp deliberately as an act of arson
Other Word Forms
- torchable adjective
- torchless adjective
- torchlike adjective
- ˈٴǰˌ adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of torch1
Idioms and Phrases
carry the / a torch for, to be in love with, especially to suffer from unrequited love for.
He still carries a torch for his ex-wife.
Example Sentences
As the firefighters pulled on their protective yellow jackets and pants, and filled their drip torches with a mixture of diesel and gasoline, Nielson bent down and grabbed a fistful of the yellow grass.
If you do have to drive, make sure you have essential supplies such as warm clothing, food, drink, blankets and a torch, and carry a fully-charged phone.
First, firefighters used drip torches to simulate embers landing around it.
The protests unravelled into looting, self-driving cars being torched, rocks thrown at law enforcement and a major freeway blocked by demonstrators.
The worst violence yet took place on Sunday, with some rioters torching and hurling concrete at police cars, hours after National Guard troops had arrived in Los Angeles County.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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