scorch
to affect the color, taste, etc., of by burning slightly: The collar of the shirt was yellow where the iron had scorched it.
to parch or shrivel with heat: The sun scorched the grass.
to criticize severely.
Machinery. burn1 (def. 32).
to destroy (crops, towns, etc.) by or as if by fire in the path of an invading army's advance.
to become scorched: Milk scorches easily.
Informal. to travel or drive at high speed: The car scorched along the highway.
a superficial burn.
Origin of scorch
1synonym study For scorch
Other words for scorch
Opposites for scorch
Other words from scorch
- un·scorched, adjective
- well-scorched, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use scorch in a sentence
As soon as his meagre back was turned Knight stooped and retrieved the letter in its envelope, unscorched, from the fireplace.
The Second Latchkey | Charles Norris Williamson and Alice Muriel WilliamsonShe had been tried in the fires of hell and came forth unscorched.
The Foolish Virgin | Thomas DixonThis raking of ashes in the hope of finding something of value unscorched was not a pleasant task for the young lawyer.
Kennedy Square | F. Hopkinson SmithHis brain felt withered, his mind had only one of its many-sighted eyes left open and unscorched.
Aaron's Rod | D. H. LawrenceIf he threw them into the fire, they hopped back to him unscorched; if he killed them, others came to take their place.
History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Death of Elizabeth. Vol. II. | James Anthony Froude
British Dictionary definitions for scorch
/ (skɔːtʃ) /
to burn or become burnt, so as to affect the colour, taste, etc, or to cause or feel pain
to wither or parch or cause to wither from exposure to heat
(intr) informal to be very hot: it is scorching outside
(tr) informal to criticize harshly
(intr) British slang to drive or ride very fast
a slight burn
a mark caused by the application of too great heat
horticulture a mark or series of marks on fruit, vegetables, etc, caused by pests or insecticides
Origin of scorch
1Derived forms of scorch
- scorching, 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
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