singe
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
-
a superficial burn.
-
the act of singeing.
verb
-
to burn or be burnt superficially; scorch
to singe one's clothes
-
(tr) to burn the ends of (hair, etc)
-
(tr) to expose (a carcass) to flame to remove bristles or hair
noun
Synonym Usage
See burn 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
singesimple
-
singessimple
-
have singedperfect
-
has singedperfect
-
am singeingprogressive
-
are singeingprogressive
-
is singeingprogressive
-
have been singeingperfect progressive
-
has been singeingperfect progressive
Past
-
singedsimple
-
had singedperfect
-
was singeingprogressive
-
were singeingprogressive
-
had been singeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of singe
First recorded before 1000; Middle English sengen (verb), Old English sencgan; cognate with Dutch zengen, German sengen; akin to Old Norse sangr “singed, burnt”
Explanation
To burn something just a little bit is to singe it. If you get too close to your backyard fire pit, you might singe your shirt sleeve. When you singe your finger on a hot stove, it hurts, and when you singe your scarf on a campfire, you'll smell it starting to burn. The verb singe comes from the Old English root word sengan, "to burn lightly, or to burn the edges." One trick to the word singe is that when you add an ing, you need to be sure you keep the e — otherwise, instead of singeing, you'll be singing.
Vocabulary lists containing singe
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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The Sea of Monsters
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"Uprising," Vocabulary from the historical novel
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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.
His attacks — “They’re weird!” — tend to singe, not burn.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2024
He put a sinister singe on Taylor Swift’s “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” for the diabolical doll thriller “M3GAN.”
From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2023
In a feat of literary alchemy, Kingsolver uses the fire of that boy’s spirit to illuminate — and singe — the darkest recesses of our country.
From Washington Post • Oct. 25, 2022
Whereas most hot sauces these days are in a competition to see who can singe your tonsils the most, I like that there's an actual balance to Humble House Ancho & Morita.
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2022
If she wasn’t careful the match would singe her fingertips, or worse, light the entire attic on fire.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
