scorch

[ skawrch ]

verb (used with object)

1. to affect the color, taste, etc., of by burning slightly:

   The collar of the shirt was yellow where the iron had scorched it.

   Synonyms: blister, char

2. to parch or shrivel with heat:

   The sun scorched the grass.

3. to criticize severely.

   Synonyms: condemn, excoriate

   Antonyms: laud

4. Machinery. burn ¹( def 32 ).
5. to destroy (crops, towns, etc.) by or as if by fire in the path of an invading army's advance.

verb (used without object)

1. to become scorched:

   Milk scorches easily.

2. Informal. to travel or drive at high speed:

   The car scorched along the highway.

noun

1. a superficial burn.

scorch

/ skɔːtʃ /

verb

1. to burn or become burnt, so as to affect the colour, taste, etc, or to cause or feel pain
2. to wither or parch or cause to wither from exposure to heat
3. informal.
   intr to be very hot

   it is scorching outside

4. informal.
   tr to criticize harshly
5. slang.
   intr to drive or ride very fast

noun

1. a slight burn
2. a mark caused by the application of too great heat
3. horticulture a mark or series of marks on fruit, vegetables, etc, caused by pests or insecticides

Derived Forms

• ˈscorching, adjective

Other Words From

• un·scorched adjective
• well-scorched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scorch¹

1400–50; late Middle English scorchen, perhaps blend of scorcnen (< Scandinavian; compare Old Norse skorpna to shrivel) and torch ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of scorch¹

C15: probably from Old Norse skorpna to shrivel up

Synonym Study

See burn ¹.

Example Sentences

Each year, some 45,000 wildfires scorch 1 million acres of the region, which spans 13 states.

From Salon

Eliza fled the scorch of Riverside for the Santa Barbara coast, where she died, in 1898.

From Los Angeles Times

Wildfires scorch thousands of acres in mountain communities of San Bernardino County near Lake Arrowhead and in the Angeles National Forest north of Glendora.

From Los Angeles Times

Wildfires scorch thousands of acres in mountain communities of San Bernardino County near Lake Arrowhead and in the Angeles National Forest north of Glendora.

From Los Angeles Times

The announcements came as a weeklong heat wave continued to scorch Southern California, causing “dangerously hot conditions” and temperatures that hovered around triple digits even late into the night.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bake
• blacken
• char
• melt
• parch
• sear