parch
verb (used with object)
to make extremely, excessively, or completely dry, as heat, sun, and wind do.
parching
-
present participleof parch.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
They are fighting a perilous battle with limited weapons against fires blamed in part on a stronger-than-usual episode of the El Nino climate phenomenon parching Southeast Asia.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
This manifested throughout 2024 in so-called “weird weather,” from unusually extreme hurricanes and floods to intense heat waves, parching droughts and unprecedented wildfires.
From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2024
Warm weather already appears to be parching vegetation and making it more flammable, as the many blazes that began over the past few days have shown.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2024
“California taxpayers,” he added, “shouldn’t have to foot the bill for billions of dollars in damages — wildfires wiping out entire communities, toxic smoke clogging our air, deadly heat waves, record-breaking droughts parching our wells.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2023
They already had a pile of birds large enough to fill the biggest parching tray, which Angeline had fetched from the camp.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
