parched

American  

[pahrcht] / pɑrtʃt /

adjective

1. extremely or completely dried, as by heat, sun, or wind.

   Dry shrubs cover parts of this parched valley in the South Hebron Hills.

2. very thirsty.

   After each shift in the ship’s engine room, I was dead tired and totally parched, needing large amounts of water.

3. (of peas, beans, grains, etc.) slightly toasted or roasted.

   The village folk customarily have one meal a day of parched grains, so there is always a crowd around the old widow’s oven.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of parch.

Other Word Forms

• parchedly adverb
• parchedness noun
• unparched adjective

Etymology

Origin of parched

parch ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

If she can prove that cheetahs are worth saving, she thinks, she can help the cheetahs who are living in “the parched grassland she can only imagine. The place that would’ve been her home, too.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Rust-colored mountains tower on the horizon, pale-green succulents defy the parched earth, Spanish-style shingles fill the scenery.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

The hot climate and sandy, parched soil make this an unlikely place for fruit and vegetables – or so you might think.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

That’s not just from the recent storms — early-season rains tend to soak into the parched ground — but also because California is building on three prior wet winters, state climatologist Michael Anderson said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

For days, the girls dried and then parched the corn that they had saved from the hungry birds.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Related Words

• arid
• scorched
• thirsty
• withered