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View synonyms for

torch

1

[tawrch]

noun

  1. 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.

  2. something considered as a source of illumination, enlightenment, guidance, etc..

    the torch of learning.

  3. any of various lamplike devices that produce a hot flame and are used for soldering, burning off paint, etc.

  4. Slang.an arsonist.

  5. Chiefly British.flashlight.



verb (used without object)

  1. to burn or flare up like a torch.

verb (used with object)

  1. to subject to the flame or light of a torch, as in order to burn, sear, solder, or illuminate.

  2. Slang.to set fire to maliciously, especially in order to collect insurance.

torch

2

[tawrch]

verb (used with object)

  1. Masonry.to point (the joints between roofing slates) with a mixture of lime and hair.

torch

/ ɔːʃ /

noun

  1. US and Canadian word: flashlight.a small portable electric lamp powered by one or more dry batteries

  2. a wooden or tow shaft dipped in wax or tallow and set alight

  3. anything regarded as a source of enlightenment, guidance, etc

    the torch of evangelism

  4. any apparatus that burns with a hot flame for welding, brazing, or soldering

  5. to be in love with, esp unrequitedly

  6. to set fire to; burn down

    the looted monastery was put to the torch

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. slang(tr) to set fire to, esp deliberately as an act of arson

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • torchable adjective
  • torchless adjective
  • torchlike adjective
  • ˈٴǰˌ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of torch1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun torch(e), from Old French torche, torque, from Vulgar Latin torca (unattested) “something twisted”; torque

Origin of torch2

First recorded in 1850–60; from French torcher “to plaster with a mixture of clay and chopped straw,” derivative of torche “a twist of straw”; torch 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of torch1

C13: from Old French torche handful of twisted straw, from Vulgar Latin torca (unattested), from Latin ٴǰŧ to twist
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. 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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

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.

From

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.

From

First, firefighters used drip torches to simulate embers landing around it.

From

The protests unravelled into looting, self-driving cars being torched, rocks thrown at law enforcement and a major freeway blocked by demonstrators.

From

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.

From

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Related Words

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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torctorchbearer