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torch
1[ tawrch ]
/ tɔrtʃ /
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noun
verb (used without object)
to burn or flare up like a torch.
verb (used with object)
to subject to the flame or light of a torch, as in order to burn, sear, solder, or illuminate.
Slang. to set fire to maliciously, especially in order to collect insurance.
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Idioms about torch
carry the / a torch for, Slang. to be in love with, especially to suffer from unrequited love for: He still carries a torch for his ex-wife.
Origin of torch
11250–1300; Middle English torche (noun) <Old French <Vulgar Latin *torca something twisted. See torque
OTHER WORDS FROM torch
torch·a·ble, adjectivetorchless, adjectivetorchlike, adjectiveWords nearby torch
toran, torbanite, Torbay, torbernite, torc, torch, torchbearer, torchère, torchier, torchiere, torchlight
Other definitions for torch (2 of 2)
torch2
[ tawrch ]
/ tɔrtʃ /
verb (used with object)
to point (the joints between roofing slates) with a mixture of lime and hair.
Origin of torch
21840–50; <French torcher to plaster with a mixture of clay and chopped straw, derivative of torche a twist of straw. See torch1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use torch in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for torch
torch
/ (tɔːtʃ) /
noun
verb
(tr) slang to set fire to, esp deliberately as an act of arson
Derived forms of torch
torchlike, adjectiveWord Origin for torch
C13: from Old French torche handful of twisted straw, from Vulgar Latin torca (unattested), from Latin torquēre to twist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with torch
torch
see carry a torch; pass the torch.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.