definitions

torch

1
[ tawrch ]
/ tɔrtʃ /
|

noun

verb (used without object)

to burn or flare up like a torch.

verb (used with object)

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.

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Nearby words

torana, torbanite, torbay, torbernite, torc, torch, torch lily, torch singer, torch song, torch syndrome, torchbearer

Idioms

    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

1
1250–1300; Middle English torche (noun) < Old French < Vulgar Latin *torca something twisted. See torque
Related formstorch·a·ble, adjectivetorch·less, adjectivetorch·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for carry a torch for

torch

/ (tɔːtʃ) /

noun

verb

(tr) slang to set fire to, esp deliberately as an act of arson
Derived Formstorchlike, adjective

Word Origin for torch

C13: from Old French torche handful of twisted straw, from Vulgar Latin torca (unattested), from Latin torquēre to twist
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

Culture definitions for carry a torch for

carry a torch for

To be infatuated with: “Frank may be engaged to Helen, but I think he still carries a torch for Laura.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with carry a torch for (1 of 2)

carry a torch for

Also, carry the torch for. Continue to feel the pain of unreciprocated love for, as in Jane has been carrying the torch for Bill for at least a year. The torch in this term alludes to the heat of love or passion. [1920s]

Idioms and Phrases with carry a torch for (2 of 2)

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.