torch
1a 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 (def. 1).
to burn or flare up like a torch.
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.
Idioms about torch
carry the / a torch for, Slang. to be in love with, especially to suffer from unrequited love for: He still carries a torch for his ex-wife.
Origin of torch
1Other words from torch
- torch·a·ble, adjective
- torchless, adjective
- torchlike, adjective
Words Nearby torch
Other definitions for torch (2 of 2)
Masonry. to point (the joints between roofing slates) with a mixture of lime and hair.
Origin of torch
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use torch in a sentence
He also cited contracts and connections with the University of Houston and the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals, known as torch.
The COVID-19 Charmer: How a Self-Described Felon Convinced Elected Officials to Try to Help Him Profit From the Pandemic | by Vianna Davila, Jeremy Schwartz and Lexi Churchill | September 25, 2020 | ProPublicaShe’s tired, and maybe we should pick up the torch a little.
Erin Brockovich has given up on the federal government saving the environment | Nicole Goodkind | September 25, 2020 | FortuneAs Samek wrote in the Quarterly Journal of Speech, “Runners literally and figuratively passed the torch from one era in feminist history to another.”
Behind the Scenes of a New Kind of Feminist Relay Race | Christine Yu | September 22, 2020 | Outside OnlineI mean, they torch up small trees and they do burn into crowns in certain areas if there’s a steep slope or strong or if it’s a really hot fire.
What the Photos of Wildfires and Smoke Don’t Show You | by Elizabeth Weil and Lisa Larson-Walker | September 21, 2020 | ProPublicaThey often feature multiple brightness levels and strobe functions for emergencies, as well as memory technology that recalls previous settings when the torch is turned on.
Flashlights for emergency scenarios and outdoor fun | PopSci Commerce Team | August 27, 2020 | Popular-Science
Even the track, a mesmerizing torch song called “Before I Ever Met You,” was only available via an obscure SoundCloud link.
Do you remember the first time you were on set in costume as The Human torch, and what that feeling was like?
Michael B. Jordan: Playing a Black Superhero in 'Fantastic Four' Is a 'Huge Responsibility' | Kevin Fallon | September 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBy the end of 1960, close to 100,000 disobedients had taken up the Civil Rights torch.
“The bras are made of duct tape that has been burned with a blow torch,” Mirano told The Daily Beast.
Deconstructing Lady Gaga's 5 Bras in "Applause" | Erin Cunningham | August 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen Jean led me back to my tent, he swept the grass repeatedly with the beam of his powerful torch.
Walking With Wildebeests: Exploring the Serengeti on Foot | Joanna Eede | July 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTTruth is a torch, but one of enormous size; so that we slink past it in rather a blinking fashion for fear it should burn us.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. BallouThe moment he passed out of her sight some phase of individuality promptly lit its torch.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonIt was ajar, and Kerry, taking an electric torch from his overall pocket, flashed the light upon the name-plate.
Dope | Sax RohmerOch, be gorry, it was nuthin' mor'n a big nager fellow holdin a torch for us to eat by.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousKneeling down, he peered into the keyhole, holding the electric torch close beside his face and chewing industriously.
Dope | Sax Rohmer
British Dictionary definitions for torch
/ (tɔːtʃ) /
a small portable electric lamp powered by one or more dry batteries: US and Canadian word: flashlight
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
carry a torch for to be in love with, esp unrequitedly
put to the torch to set fire to; burn down: the looted monastery was put to the torch
(tr) slang to set fire to, esp deliberately as an act of arson
Origin of torch
1Derived forms of torch
- torchlike, adjective
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with torch
see carry a torch; pass the torch.
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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