scorch

[ skawrch ]

/ skɔrtʃ /

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See synonyms for: scorch / scorched / scorches / scorching 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. 32).

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR scorch

1 char, blister.

3 excoriate, condemn.

See synonyms for scorch on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR scorch

3 laud.

See antonyms for scorch on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of scorch

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

synonym study for scorch

1. See burn¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM scorch

un·scorched, adjectivewell-scorched, adjective

Words nearby scorch

scopula, scopulate, Scopus, -scopy, scorbutic, scorch, scorched-earth policy, scorcher, scorching, scordatura, score

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use scorch in a sentence

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

Cold words freeze people, and hot words scorch them, and bitter words make them bitter, and wrathful words make them wrathful.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
Losses, mistakes, discouragements and disappointments scorch with burning blisters the lining of our lives.
Tyranny of God|Joseph Lewis
Sometimes they scorch them off their bodies by means of a lighted stick—a kind office which Yamba performed for me.
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont|Louis de Rougemont
There was a second dash upon the stove, and another scorch in the slip.
Prudy Keeping House|Sophie May
Even with a helper wouldn't you probably scorch the mutton or else burn yourself to death with the hot grease?
The Iron Puddler|James J. Davis

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 of scorch

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

scorch

OTHER WORDS FOR scorch

OPPOSITES FOR scorch

Origin of scorch

synonym study for scorch

OTHER WORDS FROM scorch

Words nearby scorch

Words related to scorch

How to use scorch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scorch

Derived forms of scorch

Word Origin for scorch