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
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Machinery. burn.
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to destroy (crops, towns, etc.) by or as if by fire in the path of an invading army's advance.
verb (used without object)
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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
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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
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slang (intr) to drive or ride very fast
noun
-
a slight burn
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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:
The schoolgirl was named a Games MVP on Sunday to cap an extraordinary showing that saw her scorch to gold in the 200m butterfly and do the 200m-400m individual medley double.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Faint scorch marks could have formed when the pot was originally fired, or they may have appeared later if the vessel was set close to a fire to warm individual servings of food.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
After a bit of a reprieve from an oppressively hot summer, another heat wave is set to scorch Southern California this week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
A neighbouring property in the street sustained scorch damage, according to police.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The wind had died and already die sun was beginning to scorch.
From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor
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
The May 22 Sports article “Early Voting scorches in Preakness” contained an error so blatant that it is clear the reporter is not well acquainted with the sport.
From Washington Post ● May 27, 2022
Rodgers would see patients, young and old, gasping for air, wracked with pain that scorches the chest.
From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2021
It scorches my blood and sears my thoughts.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
A scorched aircraft and charred storage container were being examined at the scene of the incident on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
But subsequent investigation found that 60% to 80% of the grove’s trees were scorched, according to a report released Tuesday from the fire’s Burned Area Emergency Response team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The film's anarchical vibe is also portrayed through its environment, with scenes of scorched earth that resemble the images many of us have seen in places affected by wildfires.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
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
In the morning the remains of a small settlement emerged around a hill, an arrangement of scorched timber and black stonework.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Behind the turnaround: Friday’s inflation report was hot, but not so scorching that it dramatically shifted investors’ understanding of the economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“I’m not a visionary,” the actor and activist said during an interview on a scorching July afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
At least 35,000 excess deaths have been linked to the scorching heat waves in Europe over the summer, though that is likely an undercount.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
After weeks of scorching heat and drought the summer's swan song is set to be one of frequent downpours as well as gales for some.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
With the air now scorching hot, Chamberlin did what he should have done in the first place.
From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy
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.
