torch¹

[tawrch]

See more synonyms for torch on Thesaurus.com

noun

a light to be carried in the hand, consisting of some combustible substance, as resinous wood, or of twisted flax or the like soaked with tallow or other flammable substance, ignited at the upper end.
something considered as a source of illumination, enlightenment, guidance, etc.: the torch of learning.
any of various lamplike devices that produce a hot flame and are used for soldering, burning off paint, etc.

Slang. an arsonist.
Chiefly British. flashlight(def 1).

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.

Idioms

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 torch¹

1250–1300; Middle English torche (noun) < Old French < Vulgar Latin *torca something twisted. See torque

Related formstorch·a·ble, adjectivetorch·less, adjectivetorch·like, adjective

torch²

[tawrch]

verb (used with object)

to point (the joints between roofing slates) with a mixture of lime and hair.

Origin of torch²

1840–50; < 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. 2018

Examples from the Web for torch

Contemporary Examples

Thankfully, my father took up the torch and left no doubt that we were looked after.
Why I Choose to Be Child-Free: Readers Share Their Stories
Harry Siegel
February 27, 2013
It feels like someone is chopping up my legs with a machete or burning them with a torch from the inside out.
New Jersey Patients in Pain Over Scarcity of Medical Marijuana
Abby Haglage
February 7, 2013
After an image-invigorating tenure as U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton will pass the torch to Sen. John Kerry on Friday.
Week in Review: Cheat Sheet to the Week’s Big News (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
February 1, 2013
China carried the torch: Under Mao Tse-tung, “the Chinese people were doing well.”
There Are Still Communists?
Justin Green
October 18, 2012
Clarence House today released a video of Prince Harry speaking about the start of the Paralympics torch relay.
Yay! Harry Keeps Clothes On In New Paralympics Video Message!!
Tom Sykes
August 24, 2012

Historical Examples

The prize was bestowed on him who ran the course without extinguishing his torch.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Dorothea was holding a torch, the liquid droppings of which fell upon her hands.
The Dream
Emile Zola
His torch will be at the threshold and his knife at the throat of the planter.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VII (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
It was the torch of a fisherman—one of those eyes of the South of which Artois had thought.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens
The cabman bought a torch from a passer-by, and stuck it in his whip-barrel.
A Son of Hagar
Sir Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for torch

torch

noun

a small portable electric lamp powered by one or more dry batteriesUS and Canadian word: flashlight
a wooden or tow shaft dipped in wax or tallow and set alight
anything regarded as a source of enlightenment, guidance, etcthe torch of evangelism
any apparatus that burns with a hot flame for welding, brazing, or soldering
carry a torch for to be in love with, esp unrequitedly
put to the torch to set fire to; burn downthe looted monastery was put to the torch

verb

(tr) slang to set fire to, esp deliberately as an act of arson

Derived Formstorchlike, adjective

Word Origin

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for torch

n.

late 13c., from Old French torche, originally "twisted thing," hence "torch formed of twisted tow dipped in wax," probably from Vulgar Latin *torca, alteration of Late Latin torqua, variant of classical Latin torques "collar of twisted metal," from torquere "to twist" (see thwart). In Britain, also applied to the battery-driven version (in U.S., flashlight). Torch song is 1927 ("My Melancholy Baby," performed by Tommy Lyman, is said to have been the first so called), from carry a torch "suffer an unrequited love" (also 1927), an obscure notion from Broadway slang.

torch¹

Origin of torch¹

torch²

Origin of torch²

Examples from the Web for torch

Contemporary Examples

Thankfully, my father took up the torch and left no doubt that we were looked after.

It feels like someone is chopping up my legs with a machete or burning them with a torch from the inside out.

After an image-invigorating tenure as U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton will pass the torch to Sen. John Kerry on Friday.

China carried the torch: Under Mao Tse-tung, “the Chinese people were doing well.”

Clarence House today released a video of Prince Harry speaking about the start of the Paralympics torch relay.

Historical Examples

The prize was bestowed on him who ran the course without extinguishing his torch.

Dorothea was holding a torch, the liquid droppings of which fell upon her hands.

His torch will be at the threshold and his knife at the throat of the planter.

It was the torch of a fisherman—one of those eyes of the South of which Artois had thought.

The cabman bought a torch from a passer-by, and stuck it in his whip-barrel.

torch

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for torch

n.

v.

Idioms and Phrases with torch

torch

torch.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}torch1

torch2

Origin of torch2

Examples from the Web for torch

Contemporary Examples

Thankfully, my father took up the torch and left no doubt that we were looked after.

It feels like someone is chopping up my legs with a machete or burning them with a torch from the inside out.

After an image-invigorating tenure as U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton will pass the torch to Sen. John Kerry on Friday.

China carried the torch: Under Mao Tse-tung, “the Chinese people were doing well.”

Clarence House today released a video of Prince Harry speaking about the start of the Paralympics torch relay.

Historical Examples

The prize was bestowed on him who ran the course without extinguishing his torch.

Dorothea was holding a torch, the liquid droppings of which fell upon her hands.

His torch will be at the threshold and his knife at the throat of the planter.

It was the torch of a fisherman—one of those eyes of the South of which Artois had thought.

The cabman bought a torch from a passer-by, and stuck it in his whip-barrel.

torch

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for torch

n.

v.

Idioms and Phrases with torch

torch

torch¹

Origin of torch¹

torch²

Origin of torch²