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
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
The Clippers boasted the NBA’s best defensive rating during their win streak, but the Celtics torched them in Boston’s highest-scoring first quarter of the season.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torch
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Noun
As for the welding torch demonstration, a professional welding flame typically reaches around 1,500 °C, whereas most home and building fires burn between 600 °C and 800 °C (1,112 °F to 1,472 °F).
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
Jack Devine, Regents Earning this honor for the second straight year, Devine, a junior quarterback, torched opposing defenses, throwing for 3,491 yards and 55 TDs and running for 727 yards and 12 scores to pace an offense that averaged 50 ppg.
—Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 4 Jan. 2026
The Clippers boasted the NBA’s best defensive rating during their win streak, but the Celtics torched them in Boston’s highest-scoring first quarter of the season.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 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 6 Jan. 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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