singe

American  

[sinj] / sɪndʒ /

verb (used with object)

singed, singeing

1. to burn superficially or slightly; scorch.

   Synonyms:

   char

2. to burn the ends, projections, nap, or the like, of (hair, cloth, etc.).

3. to subject (the carcass of an animal or bird) to flame in order to remove hair, bristles, feathers, etc.

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noun

1. a superficial burn.

2. the act of singeing.

singe British  

/ sɪndʒ /

verb

1. to burn or be burnt superficially; scorch

   to singe one's clothes

2. (tr) to burn the ends of (hair, etc)

3. (tr) to expose (a carcass) to flame to remove bristles or hair

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noun

1. a superficial burn

Related Words

See burn ¹.

Other Word Forms

• singeingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of singe

First recorded before 1000; Middle English sengen (verb), Old English sencgan; cognate with Dutch zengen, German sengen; akin to Old Norse sangr “singed, burnt”

Example Sentences

Hall wants to do with the chimneys what Hill did by framing those singed pieces of music — to create a work of art born from disaster that symbolizes the will to carry on.

From Los Angeles Times

She also had singed feathers on both sides of her body, but especially on the right, where Rogers said the wing looked particularly damaged.

From Los Angeles Times

The mural survived the Palisades fire with minor singe marks.

From Los Angeles Times

Visually epic, sonically relentless and otherwise fatuous, the film has a dramatic inertia occasionally punctuated by eruptions of utter catastrophe—a series of shocks that leaves you singed, shaken and not much better for it.

From The Wall Street Journal

The fried chicken is typically coated in a mixture of cayenne and paprika that singes the tongue.

From Los Angeles Times