parch
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make extremely, excessively, or completely dry, as heat, sun, and wind do.
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to make dry, hot, or thirsty.
Walking in the sun parched his throat.
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to dry (peas, beans, grain, etc.) by exposure to heat without burning; to toast or roast slightly.
A staple of the Indian diet was parched corn.
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to dry or shrivel with cold.
verb (used without object)
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to suffer from heat, thirst, or need of water.
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to become parched; undergo drying by heat.
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to dry (usually followed byup ).
verb
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to deprive or be deprived of water; dry up
the sun parches the fields
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(tr; usually passive) to make very thirsty
I was parched after the run
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(tr) to roast (corn, etc) lightly
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of parch
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perchen; further origin unknown
Explanation
If you don't water your lawn all summer, the hot weather will parch the grass until it's brown and withered. To parch is to dry up or wither due to sunlight or heat. The verb parch is often used in the context of plants and people. Crops will parch during a drought. A patient's skin will parch during an intense fever. If you're a fan of cooking shows, you may hear the word used in a less dire way. A chef may "parch some corn," which basically means she will roast it lightly. Parch can also mean "to make thirsty," as in "After running a marathon in this heat, you'll feel parched."
Vocabulary lists containing parch
The Birchbark House
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"Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats
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Shabanu
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Now more frequent and more intense, they destroy ground vegetation and parch the earth, which kills the ants and termites that pangolins survive on.
From BBC • Nov. 30, 2023
The parch begins in autumn, just as trees across the region shed their colorful leaves—a highly flammable fuel for wildfires.
From Scientific American • Aug. 23, 2023
Both developments, he said, are caused by rising global temperatures, which intensify storms during some seasons, then parch the landscape during others.
From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2022
Many have fled, heading to neighboring Iran or living in abject poverty in camps for the displaced within Afghanistan as repeated droughts parch the land and shrivel pastures.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2021
"When you come home to-night, White Cloud, bring some green rice to parch for supper."
From Two Indian Children of Long Ago by Taylor, Frances
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
