scald
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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scalds,
present (3rd person singular)
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scalded,
past participle, past
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scalding
present participle
-
to burn or affect painfully with or as if with hot liquid or steam.
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to subject to the action of boiling or hot liquid.
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to heat to a temperature just short of the boiling point.
to scald milk.
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to parboil or blanch (fruit, vegetables, etc.).
verb (used without object)
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scalds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scalded,
past participle, past
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scalding
present participle
noun
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a burn caused by the action of hot liquid or steam.
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any similar condition, especially as the result of too much heat or sunlight.
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Plant Pathology.
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a blanching of the epidermis and adjacent tissues, which turn pale or dark brown, caused by extreme heat or sun exposure.
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a condition resembling scald caused by improper conditions of growth or storage, as in apples, or by fungi, as in cranberries.
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adjective
noun
verb
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to burn or be burnt with or as if with hot liquid or steam
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(tr) to subject to the action of boiling water, esp so as to sterilize
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(tr) to heat (a liquid) almost to boiling point
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(tr) to plunge (tomatoes, peaches, etc) into boiling water briefly in order to skin them more easily
noun
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the act or result of scalding
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an abnormal condition in plants, characterized by discoloration and wrinkling of the skin of the fruits, caused by exposure to excessive sunlight, gases, etc
adjective
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scaldsimple
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scaldssimple
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have scaldedperfect
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has scaldedperfect
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am scaldingprogressive
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are scaldingprogressive
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is scaldingprogressive
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have been scaldingperfect progressive
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has been scaldingperfect progressive
Past
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scaldedsimple
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had scaldedperfect
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was scaldingprogressive
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were scaldingprogressive
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had been scaldingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scald1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb scalde(n), scolde(n), from Anglo-Latin scal(a)dāre, escaudāre, and Old French eschalder, eschauder, from Late Latin excaldāre “to wash in hot water”; see origin at ex- 1, caldarium
Origin of scald2
Explanation
You could scald yourself if your bathwater is too hot. To scald something is to burn it with hot liquid. However, if a recipe tells you to “scald the milk,” it means to heat it to the moment just before it boils. The verb scald comes from the Late Latin word excaldare, meaning “bathe in hot water.” For example, if you scald a tomato in boiling water for one minute, it will be easy to peel. In medieval times, or any era when people protected their castles by pouring hot oil from the turrets, they scalded their enemies. Nice.
Vocabulary lists containing scald
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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Blanch, Poach, and Scald: Cooking Methods
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"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury
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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.
See Examples For:
I eat it standing, careful not to scald my tongue.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
When the burn or scald has cooled, lay cling film over it, if possible.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
When this anger boiled over, it threatened to scald more than the British.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Leo’s veterinarian said in his case file that he had been losing weight throughout the year and had urine scald, a condition the vet said couldn’t be treated in the lab setting.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 13, 2023
“I don’t know why you don’t scald your mouth, drinking it that hot.”
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Her famous parting words as the doctor leads her away, “Whoever you are — I have always depended on the kindness of strangers,” scalds anew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025
Staff nurse John Davies said the burns centre saw 20-30 patients with scalds from hot water bottles every year.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2022
One twin falls down the crumbling stairs of her Calcutta house and breaks her ankle; the other scalds her thigh on a tipped cup of coffee in a European station.
From The New Yorker ● May 2, 2016
While scalds and falls on tile can inflict serious harm in the bathroom, modern kitchen appliances and gadgets offer many more opportunities for injury.
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2013
The day in and day out of needle pricks, scalds, and raw-skinned hands from cooking and scrubbing was wearing on me.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
The award harks back to civil court judgments against McDonald’s after a jury in 1994 awarded $3 million to an Albuquerque woman who was scalded by hot coffee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2025
"He looked like he'd been scalded by hot water," the mother of three told the BBC.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2024
So McDonald's had a responsibility not to make coffee that burned you, that scalded you.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2023
So hot that you could be scalded by the first blast of sunbaked water to come out of the garden hose.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2023
It scalded her throat but she shook off the pain of it.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Meanwhile, his shower alternated between freezing cold and "scalding hot".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The title invokes the container for holding scalding liquid metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
The building’s windows were leaky, which means big trouble in North Dakota’s frigid winters and scalding summers.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Though the ground around hydrothermal areas may appear solid, it is often fragile with scalding water lurking just below the surface.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024
Petra wanted to giggle, but instead choked on her cake and had to wash it down with a scalding gulp of Earl Grey.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
