often attributive
1
: a burning stick of resinous wood or twist of tow used to give light and usually carried in the hand : flambeau
2
: something (such as tradition, wisdom, or knowledge) likened to a torch as giving light or guidance
pass the torch to the next generation
3
: any of various portable devices for emitting an unusually hot flame compare blowtorch
4
chiefly British
: flashlight sense 1
torched; torching; torches
: to set fire to with or as if with a torch
Synonyms of torch
Examples of torch in a Sentence
Noun
several suspicious fires in the past few months have probably been set by the same torch
Verb
An arsonist torched the building.
police suspect that the owner torched the house for the insurance money
Recent Examples on the Web
Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 May 2026
Don't use a propane torch on a windy day, and be careful to avoid burning either yourself or any of the objects adjacent to the weeds.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Also reeling from a fire death are friends and relatives of Oreste Deleon, 70, a Bronx landlord who died along with two tenants on May 6 when an arsonist torched his Mott Haven building.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for torch
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Noun
Some are friends who stood beside me through the AIDS crisis, others are carrying the torch forward with the new generation.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 May 2026
Don't use a propane torch on a windy day, and be careful to avoid burning either yourself or any of the objects adjacent to the weeds.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
Verb
Shouldering an even heavier load without Boston in the paint, Clark torched the Storm defense, dropping a team-high 21 points and dishing out 10 assists along with seven rebounds.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Also reeling from a fire death are friends and relatives of Oreste Deleon, 70, a Bronx landlord who died along with two tenants on May 6 when an arsonist torched his Mott Haven building.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for torch
Cite this Entry
“Torch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torch. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
TORCH
noun
: a group of infectious diseases that cause similar symptoms in newborns and that include especially toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, and rubella
Etymology
Noun
toxoplasma, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus
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