- present participle of touch.
adjective
preposition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of touching
Explanation
Something that is touching affects you emotionally—it makes you feel sad or tender. A touching video about baby hedgehogs might even make your stoic older sister cry. The adjective touching comes from a particular meaning of the verb touch, "to affect or move mentally or emotionally," from the idea that something has "touched" your mind or heart. Your book report might describe the story you read as touching if it left you wiping away a tear.
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.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which influences interest rates across the economy, settled at 5.243% Friday after touching a fresh 24-year high earlier this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
This arrangement allows the researchers to transfer energy to the plasma without physically touching it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026
On campus, students are educated on the importance of not touching or feeding the donkeys, which weigh about 500 pounds and can charge at humans when feeling threatened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Nvidia stock is within touching distance of a record high as it highlights the usable life of its chips in a rebuttal to Michael Burry.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
There are stories about him standing in front of the painting for days without touching his brush.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
