touch

[ tuhch ]

/ tʌtʃ /

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See synonyms for: touch / touched / touches / touching on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to put the hand, finger, etc., on or into contact with (something) to feel it: He touched the iron cautiously.

to come into contact with and perceive (something), as the hand or the like does.

to bring (the hand, finger, etc., or something held) into contact with something: She touched a match to the papers.

to give a slight tap or pat to with the hand, finger, etc.; strike or hit gently or lightly.

to come into or be in contact with.

Geometry. (of a line or surface) to be tangent to.

to be adjacent to or border on.

to come up to; reach; attain.

to attain equality with; compare with (usually used with a negative): a style that cannot touch that of Shakespeare.

to mark by strokes of the brush, pencil, or the like.

to mark or relieve slightly, as with color: a gray dress touched with blue.

to stop at (a place), as a ship: The ship touched shore several times during the cruise.

to treat or affect in some way by contact.

to affect as if by contact; tinge; imbue.

to affect with some feeling or emotion, especially tenderness, pity, gratitude, etc.: Their sufferings touched his heart.

to handle, use, or have to do with in any way (usually used with a negative): She can't touch the money until she's 21.

to eat or drink; consume; taste (usually used with a negative): He won't touch another drink.

to lay hands on, often in a violent manner: Don't you touch this child!

to deal with or treat in speech or writing.

to refer or allude to.

to pertain or relate to: a critic in all matters touching the kitchen.

to be a matter of importance to; make a difference to; affect: This grave decision touches all of us.

Metallurgy. to stamp (metal) as being of standard purity.

Slang. to apply to for money, or succeed in getting money from: He touched me for five dollars.

Slang. to steal from.

Archaic.

to strike the strings, keys, etc., of (a musical instrument) so as to cause it to sound.
to play or perform (an air, notes, etc.) on a musical instrument.

verb (used without object)

to place the hand, finger, etc., on or in contact with something.

to come into or be in contact.

to make a stop or a short call at a place, as a ship or those on board (usually followed by at).

noun

the act or state of touching; state or fact of being touched.

that sense by which anything material is perceived by means of physical contact.

the quality of something touched that imparts a sensation: an object with a slimy touch.

a coming into or being in contact.

mental or moral perception, sensitivity, or understanding: He has a marvelous touch in dealing with people.

ability, skill, or dexterity; knack: to lose one's touch.

Fencing. the contact of the point of a foil or épée or the point or edge of the blade of a saber with a specified portion of the opponent's body, counting one point for the scorer.

close communication, agreement, sympathy, or the like: to be out of touch with reality; Let's keep in touch.

a slight stroke or blow.

a slight attack, as of illness or disease: a touch of rheumatism.

a slight added action or effort in doing or completing any piece of work: to provide the finishing touches.

a special detail or feature: The berries macerated in extra virgin olive oil were a nice touch that elevated the custard dessert plate.

manner of execution in artistic work.

the act or manner of touching or fingering a keyboard instrument.

the mode of action of the keys of an instrument, as of a piano or typewriter.

Change Ringing. a partial series of changes on a peal of bells.

a stroke or dash, as with a brush, pencil, or pen.

a slight amount of some quality, attribute, etc.: a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

a slight quantity or degree: a touch of salt.

a distinguishing characteristic or trait: the touch of the master.

quality or kind in general.

an act of testing something.

something that serves as a test; touchstone.

Slang.

the act of approaching someone for money as a gift or a loan.
the obtaining of money in this manner.
the money obtained.
a person considered from the standpoint of the relative ease with which he or she will lend money:I can always hit him for ten—he's an easy touch.

Slang. theft.

Metallurgy.

an official mark put upon precious metal after testing to indicate its purity.
a die, stamp, or the like for impressing such a mark.
an identifying mark impressed on pewter by its maker.

Soccer. the area outside the touchlines.

Rugby. either of the touchlines or the area outside of the touchlines.

Verb Phrases

touch down, (of an airplane) to come into contact with the ground; land.

touch off,

to represent or characterize precisely.
to cause to ignite or explode.
to give rise to; initiate: This incident will touch off another crisis.

touch on / upon

to mention a subject briefly or casually; treat of in passing: In his lecture he touched on the major aspects of the controversy.
to come close to; approach.
to relate or pertain to.

touch up,

to make minor changes or improvements in the appearance of.
to modify or improve (a painting, photograph, etc.) by adding small strokes or making slight changes.
to rouse by or as if by striking: This should touch up your memory.

OTHER WORDS FOR touch

1 handle, feel.

13 impress.

15 move, strike, stir, melt, soften.

21 concern, regard, affect.

38 pat, tap.

48 hint, trace, suggestion.

See synonyms for touch on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about touch

put the touch on, Informal. to try to borrow money from: Willie put the touch on me for another ten last night.

touch base. See entry at touch base.

Origin of touch

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb to(u)chen, from Old French tochier, from unattested Vulgar Latin toccāre “to knock, strike, touch,” of expressive origin; noun partly continuing Middle English touche “state or act of touching,” from Old French, derivative of tochier, and partly derivative of the Middle English verb

OTHER WORDS FROM touch

touch·a·ble, adjectivetouch·a·ble·ness, touch·a·bil·i·ty

[tuhch-uh-bil-i-tee], /ˌtʌtʃ əˈbɪl ɪ ti/, nountouch·er, nountouch·less, adjective

in·ter·touch, verb (used without object)

Words nearby touch

tottie, totting, totty, toucan, toucanet, touch, touch and go, touchback, touch base, touch base with, touch bottom

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use touch in a sentence

To let us know how your voting experience goes, here’s how to sign up and get in touch.
Please Tell Us If You Have Any Trouble Voting This Year|by Rachel Glickhouse|September 8, 2020|ProPublica
We may not be able to hug each other, for fear of infection, but we can keep in touch digitally.
Fortune’s 40 Under 40 honorees in tech defy the pandemic|rhhackettfortune|September 2, 2020|Fortune
A battery-powered system of fans stokes your fire with the touch of a button.
5 Portable Grills for All Your Outdoor Cooking Needs|Amy Marturana Winderl|September 2, 2020|Outside Online
This requires a data-driven approach, measuring gaps as well as progress while still employing the human touch overall.
3 ways to make sure corporate diversity and inclusion efforts have a lasting impact|matthewheimer|August 31, 2020|Fortune

That offer prompted the employee to get in touch with the FBI, which quickly began monitoring all of Kriuchkov’s actions.
The FBI broke up a Russian hacker plot to extort millions from Tesla|Aaron Pressman|August 28, 2020|Fortune
Set a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the surface of the water.
Carla Hall’s Christmas Day Treat: Rum Balls|Carla Hall|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I had a small touch of prison a couple of times,” Mailer writes to Ehrlichman.
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness|Ronald K. Fried|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The quote appears on the bronze plaque the players touch before they take the field for home games.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The former vice president is not known as a soft touch, but for a brief moment in 2011, he seemed to hold Clinton in high regard.
Remember When Republicans Loved Hillary Clinton?|Ben Jacobs|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Too many designers, Nagrani reckons, stop thinking like entrepreneurs and lose touch with their customers.
The Hot Designer Who Hates Fashion: VK Nagrani Triumphs His Own Way|Tom Teodorczuk|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Goliath wouldn't answer; the Dublin said the force was coming off, and we could not get into touch with the soldiers at all.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
He made me think of an old time magician more than anything, and I felt that with a touch of his wand he could transform us all.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
He thought they were now in touch with our troops at "X" but that they had been through some hard fighting to get there.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Thanks to Berthier's admirable system, Bonaparte was kept in touch with every part of his command.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Tausig possessed this repose in a technical way, and his touch was marvellous; but he never drew the tears to your eyes.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for touch

touch

/ (tʌtʃ) /

noun

the sense by which the texture and other qualities of objects can be experienced when they come in contact with a part of the body surface, esp the tips of the fingersRelated adjectives: haptic, tactile, tactual

the quality of an object as perceived by this sense; feel; feeling

the act or an instance of something coming into contact with the body

a gentle push, tap, or caress

a small amount; hinta touch of sarcasm

a noticeable effect; influencethe house needed a woman's touch

any slight stroke or markwith a touch of his brush he captured the scene

characteristic manner or stylethe artist had a distinctive touch

a detail of some work, esp a literary or artistic workshe added a few finishing touches to the book

a slight attack, as of a diseasea touch of bronchitis

a specific ability or facilitythe champion appeared to have lost his touch

the state of being aware of a situation or in contact with someoneto get in touch with someone

the state of being in physical contact

a trial or test (esp in the phrase put to the touch)

rugby soccer the area outside the touchlines, beyond which the ball is out of play (esp in the phrase in touch)

archaic

an official stamp on metal indicating standard purity
the die stamp used to apply this markNow usually called: hallmark

a scoring hit in competitive fencing

an estimate of the amount of gold in an alloy as obtained by use of a touchstone

the technique of fingering a keyboard instrument

the quality of the action of a keyboard instrument with regard to the relative ease with which the keys may be depressedthis piano has a nice touch

bell-ringing any series of changes where the permutations are fewer in number than for a peal

slang

the act of asking for money as a loan or gift, often by devious means
the money received in this way
a person asked for money in this wayhe was an easy touch

verb

(tr) to cause or permit a part of the body to come into contact with

(tr) to tap, feel, or strike, esp with the handdon't touch the cake!

to come or cause (something) to come into contact with (something else)their hands touched briefly; he touched the match to the fuse

(intr) to be in contact

(tr; usually used with a negative) to take hold of (a person or thing), esp in violencedon't touch the baby!

to be adjacent to (each other)the two properties touch

(tr) to move or disturb by handlingsomeone's touched my desk

(tr) to have an effect onthe war scarcely touched our town

(tr) to produce an emotional response inhis sad story touched her

(tr) to affect; concern

(tr; usually used with a negative) to partake of, eat, or drink

(tr; usually used with a negative) to handle or deal withI wouldn't touch that business

(when intr, often foll by on) to allude (to) briefly or in passingthe speech touched on several subjects

(tr) to tinge or tint slightlybrown hair touched with gold

(tr) to spoil or injure slightlyblackfly touched the flowers

(tr) to mark, as with a brush or pen

(tr) to compare to in quality or attainment; equal or matchthere's no-one to touch him

(tr) to reach or attainhe touched the high point in his career

(intr) to dock or stop brieflythe ship touches at Tenerife

(tr) slang to ask for a loan or gift of money from

rare

to finger (the keys or strings of an instrument)
to play (a tune, piece of music, etc) in this way

touch base to make contactSee base 1 (def. 26)

Derived forms of touch

touchable, adjectivetouchableness, nountoucher, nountouchless, adjective

Word Origin for touch

C13: from Old French tochier, from Vulgar Latin toccāre (unattested) to strike, ring (a bell), probably imitative of a tapping sound

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with touch

touch

In addition to the idioms beginning with touch

touch and go
touch base with
touch bottom
touch down
touched by, be
touched in the head
touch off
touch on
touch up

also see:

common touch
finishing touch
hit (touch) bottom
in touch
lose one's touch
lose touch
not touch with a ten-foot pole
out of touch
put the arm (touch) on
soft touch

touch

OTHER WORDS FOR touch

Idioms about touch

Origin of touch

OTHER WORDS FROM touch

Words nearby touch

Words related to touch

How to use touch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for touch

Derived forms of touch

Word Origin for touch

Other Idioms and Phrases with touch