scorch
Americanverb (used with object)
-
scorches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scorched,
past participle, past
-
scorching
present participle
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- laud
-
Machinery. burn.
-
to destroy (crops, towns, etc.) by or as if by fire in the path of an invading army's advance.
verb (used without object)
-
scorches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scorched,
past participle, past
-
scorching
present participle
-
to become scorched.
Milk scorches easily.
-
Informal. to travel or drive at high speed.
The car scorched along the highway.
noun
-
scorches
plural
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
-
informal (intr) to be very hot
it is scorching outside
-
informal (tr) to criticize harshly
-
slang (intr) 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
Synonym Usage
See burn 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
scorchsimple
-
scorchessimple
-
have scorchedperfect
-
has scorchedperfect
-
am scorchingprogressive
-
are scorchingprogressive
-
is scorchingprogressive
-
have been scorchingperfect progressive
-
has been scorchingperfect progressive
Past
-
scorchedsimple
-
had scorchedperfect
-
was scorchingprogressive
-
were scorchingprogressive
-
had been scorchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scorch
1400–50; late Middle English scorchen, perhaps blend of scorcnen (< Scandinavian; compare Old Norse skorpna to shrivel) and torch 1
Explanation
To scorch is to burn something fiercely, to the point where its surface — your face, prairie grass, a steak on the grill — chars or otherwise changes color. Although scorch usually refers to burning something (whether it's the sun or a blowtorch doing the burning), that's not always the case. An army can scorch an enemy territory — meaning raze everything in sight, without technically setting it on fire. Scorch can also mean to quickly overpower something or somebody, as in: "We're gonna scorch the other team tomorrow."
Vocabulary lists containing scorch
The Sweltering Words of Summer
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Vocabulary from history writings about the Triangle Factory Fire
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Term-ometer: Synonyms for "Hot"
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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:
A neighbouring property in the street sustained scorch damage, according to police.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models crossing Jones’s desk appear at first glance to be completely fine—no broken screen, no scorch marks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
A potentially dangerous, record-setting heat wave is forecast to scorch Los Angeles on Thursday and Friday, with some triple-digit highs possible — up to 30 degrees above normal for this time of year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
His point was that the abundant regeneration that Hanson shows off represents scorch, where heat opened the cones to release the multitude of seeds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
“About the prairie fires? About how sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground and start over?”
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
While it has been widely reported that the helicopters' exhaust scorches grass, Trump added Monday that the airflow is so powerful, the lawn actually "gets ripped out."
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
The scene in which Biff almost violently embraces Willy and tries—in vain—to make him discard his illusions scorches with its sadness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
For milder burns and scorches on stainless steel and aluminum pans, you can usually make do with a few pantry staples.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2021
The soaking spring nourishing the Jeffrey pines and sagebrush is giving way to a desert dry as soaring heat scorches the new growth into blankets of kindling.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2019
It scorches my blood and sears my thoughts.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
That included biotech’s Moderna, whose boffo cancer therapy results launched its stock up 177% on Wednesday and scorched short sellers betting on its decline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Much-needed rain brought some respite Monday to firefighters on their fourth day battling Belgium's worst wildfire in a century, which has scorched vast expanses of nature reserve on the German border.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Satellite images examined by BBC Verify show shrunken glaciers, scorched areas left by wildfires, green fields turned arid and lower river levels.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
I cannot erase the image of that scorched cell from my mind.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Her skin is mottled and cracked like a scorched riverbed from the tip of her trunk all the way down to her wide feet.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
But homeowners can see much bigger monthly bills during the scorching summer or freezing winter months, when they might run their heating or air-conditioning systems more aggressively.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
If seeing attractions like the Vatican in Rome is a non-negotiable, Armenise suggests booking in advance to avoid waiting in line in scorching temperatures.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
There are 15 major ongoing wildfires in Washington, scorching some 250,000 acres, said Dave Upthegrove, the state’s public lands commissioner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Saturday’s rehearsals took place under a scorching sun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Fire erupted from his mouth in horrible yellow-gold waves, scorching everything in reach.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
