scorch

[ skawrch ]

/ skɔrtʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scorch ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to affect the color, taste, etc., of by burning slightly: The collar of the shirt was yellow where the iron had scorched it.

to parch or shrivel with heat: The sun scorched the grass.

to criticize severely.

Machinery. burn¹(def 31).

to destroy (crops, towns, etc.) by or as if by fire in the path of an invading army's advance.

verb (used without object)

to become scorched: Milk scorches easily.

Informal. to travel or drive at high speed: The car scorched along the highway.

noun

a superficial burn.

Nearby words

scopula, scopulate, scopus, scorbutic, scorbutigenic, scorch, scorched earth policy, scorched-earth policy, scorcher, scorching, scordatura

Origin of scorch

1400–50; late Middle English scorchen, perhaps blend of scorcnen (< Scandinavian; compare Old Norse skorpna to shrivel) and torch¹

SYNONYMS FOR scorch

1 char, blister.

3 excoriate, condemn.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scorch ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR scorch

3 laud.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR scorch ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

un·scorched, adjectivewell-scorched, adjective

Synonym study

1. See burn¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scorch

One of the reasons I did that Twitter feed is that I want the truth to come out, all the truth, so I can scorch the earth.
Porn Professor Hugo Schwyzer Comes Clean About His Twitter Meltdown and Life as a Fraud|Richard Abowitz|August 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And with too little bacon in the pan, not enough fat renders quickly enough and the bacon will scorch.
America's Bacon Addiction|Sarah Whitman-Salkin|June 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Speculation: The scorch might have been made by radioactivity attendant upon the resurrection.
10 Reasons the Resurrection Really Happened|Jeffrey Hart|April 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
If the scorch on the Shroud is the result of radiation, it could have been radiation that reconstituted the dead body.
10 Reasons the Resurrection Really Happened|Jeffrey Hart|April 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST

The first shot flew high into the air but the scorch of the fire stung the face of the man over him.
The Triumph of John Kars|Ridgwell Cullum
Care however must be taken not to let them dry and scorch, as it makes them very strong and unwholesome.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton
That kiss seemed to scorch her lips with a fire she had never dreamed of.
One Day|Anonymous
At any rate you ought to have remembered it when Scorch was talking that day.
A Little Miss Nobody|Amy Bell Marlowe
The original Time Signatures have been retained in the Scorch web pages and in the pdf files.
Wit and Mirth: or Pills to Purge Melancholy, Volume VI|Various

British Dictionary definitions for scorch

scorch

/ (skɔːtʃ) /

verb

to burn or become burnt, so as to affect the colour, taste, etc, or to cause or feel pain

to wither or parch or cause to wither from exposure to heat

(intr) informal to be very hotit is scorching outside

(tr) informal to criticize harshly

(intr) British slang to drive or ride very fast

noun

a slight burn

a mark caused by the application of too great heat

horticulture a mark or series of marks on fruit, vegetables, etc, caused by pests or insecticides

Derived Forms

scorching, adjective

Word Origin for scorch

C15: probably from Old Norse skorpna to shrivel up

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012