torch

¹ American  

[tawrch] / tɔrtʃ /

noun

• torches
  plural

1. 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.

2. something considered as a source of illumination, enlightenment, guidance, etc..

   the torch of learning.

3. any of various lamplike devices that produce a hot flame and are used for soldering, burning off paint, etc.

4. Slang. an arsonist.

5. Chiefly British. flashlight.

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verb (used without object)

1. to burn or flare up like a torch.

verb (used with object)

1. to subject to the flame or light of a torch, as in order to burn, sear, solder, or illuminate.

2. Slang. to set fire to maliciously, especially in order to collect insurance.

idioms

1. carry the / a torch for, to be in love with, especially to suffer from unrequited love for.

   He still carries a torch for his ex-wife.

torch ² American  

[tawrch] / tɔrtʃ /

verb (used with object)

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

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torch British  

/ tɔːtʃ /

noun

1. US and Canadian word: flashlight.  a small portable electric lamp powered by one or more dry batteries

2. a wooden or tow shaft dipped in wax or tallow and set alight

3. anything regarded as a source of enlightenment, guidance, etc

   the torch of evangelism

4. any apparatus that burns with a hot flame for welding, brazing, or soldering

5. to be in love with, esp unrequitedly

6. to set fire to; burn down

   the looted monastery was put to the torch

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verb

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

torch More Idioms  

1. see carry a torch; pass the torch.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• torchable
  adjective
• torchless
  adjective
• torchlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• torches
  plural

Etymology

Origin of torch¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun torch(e), from Old French torche, torque, from Vulgar Latin torca (unattested) “something twisted”; see origin at torque

Origin of torch²

First recorded in 1850–60; from French torcher “to plaster with a mixture of clay and chopped straw,” derivative of torche “a twist of straw”; see also torch ¹

Explanation

A torch is a handheld light. Although flashlights are sometimes called "torches," technically a torch has a burning flame. Torch can also be used as a verb indicating that something has been purposely set on fire. For example, arsonists have been known to torch empty buildings just for fun. This meaning dates to 1931. The noun form of torch has been around a lot longer. In the late 13th century torch came into English from the Old French word torche, or "twisted thing," which was a piece of wax-dipped rope.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

torch torches

As she ran, she said she had looked back to see his torch seeking her out.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

After 15 seasons and countless battles against fellow stars of the league, Ogwumike seems content to pass the torch to the next generation of players.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

To the contrary, the entire discussion on YouTube was about Grande’s body, not the video’s visuals or the music, a lovely torch song where she compares herself to a “petal in the pavement.”

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Once underwater, they sliced through the ship’s steel using a torch with a self-consuming rod burning at thousands of degrees Fahrenheit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

The first one swept his arrow through the torch, lighting the end on fire.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Instead of working with a massive furnace, participants use small torches, making the process feel more approachable and easier to control.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

Serhiy Motsak, a shift director at one of Ukraine’s thermal-power plants, spent this past winter knocking ice from the equipment and сarrying around torches to heat it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Battalion members prepared the drones in pitch dark, illuminated only by red torches.

From Barron's ● May 17, 2026

Hedda, in effect, torches the realistic trappings that Nora from “A Doll’s House” also came to understand as a trap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

He carried his pack and the extra weight of a heavy rope, a small ax, and their supply of torches with ease.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Related Words

• beacon
• lamp
• lantern