scald
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
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:
If they get a burn or scald that is very large or deep, is on the face, genitals or bottom, the NHS advises to contact your nearest A&E or to call 999.
From BBC ● May 4, 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
Preparing the cornstarch mixture first allows you to whisk the milk and cream without pause — important, as it can scald easily on the bottom of the pot.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2023
I felt my red skin was going to scald plumb off, and then I’d look just like that poor antelope.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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
Page views on burns and scalds and how to treat them increased by 50% compared to the week before Christmas to 2,748 from 1,782.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2024
Taking the play in is like sipping a rarefied eau de vie, the kind that scalds as it cools.
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2019
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
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
However, another called it a "vey good decision", saying they had always been "nervous" that they would be scalded.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2024
He worked the first three innings scoreless, allowing a scalded double to Yordan Alvarez in the first inning for the only hit.
From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024
An estimated 100,000 children scalded yearly by hot food and beverages.
From Salon ● Dec. 29, 2023
Her hands are shaking, and she's flushed from head to toe like she's been scalded.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
The title invokes the container for holding scalding liquid metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
She says she did not pursue a complaint because she feared that being a junior member of the team, "chances were, I'd be booted off the production, and he may have only got a scalding".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2025
On a particularly scalding summer day, my friend wanted Chinese food, so I opted to get fried tofu with mixed vegetables and white rice delivered.
From Salon ● May 21, 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
“We thought you knew what you were doing!” shouted Ron, standing up, and his words pierced Harry like scalding knives.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
