torch
UK/ˈtɔːtʃ/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
British/ˈtoːtʃ/
torch noun: a stick of wood or plant fibres twisted together, with one end soaked in a flammable substance such as resin or tallow and set on fire, which is held in the hand, put into a wall bracket, or stuck into the ground, and used chiefly as a light source. Also the ellipsis of electric torch.
Noun
torch (plural torches)
- A stick of wood or plant fibres twisted together, with one end soaked in a flammable substance such as resin or tallow and set on fire, which is held in the hand, put into a wall bracket, or stuck into the ground, and used chiefly as a light source.
- The mob of angry villagers carried torches and pitchforks to the vampire’s castle.
- Enter at one doore Æneas, at another Paris, Deiphobus, Antemor [i.e., Antenor], Diomed [i.e., Diomedes] vvith torches.c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Famous Historie of Troylus and Cresseid. […] (First Quarto), London: […] G[eorge] Eld for R[ichard] Bonian and H[enry] Walley, […], published 1609...
- A similarly shaped implement with a replaceable supply of flammable material; specifically, a pole with a lamp at one end.
- Eleven days before the start of the [modern Olympic] Games, a flaming torch is ignited by the sun in Olympia at the ruins of the ancient Temple of Zeus. With that flame, relay runners lighted torches one from the other and carry it to the opening of the Games. Ever since 1936, the Summer Olympics...1984 June–July, Frances A. Harmon, “The Olympic Games—for Good and All”, in John H[arold] Johnson, editor, Ebony Jr!, volume 12, number 2, Chicago, Ill.: Johnson Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC...
- The degradation of the [Olympic] torch worldwide—it had to be snuffed out more than once to protect it from protesters—even provoked angry Chinese students to mobilise "150 strong and energetic runners" to defend it in Australia, raising the spectre of violence.2008 April 22–28, Rohit Mahajan, Ashish Kumar Sen, “Ah, the Human Race”, in Vinod Mehta, editor, Outlook: The Weekly Newsmagazine, New Delhi: Maheshwer Peri on behalf of Outlook Publishing, →OCLC...
- A flower which is red or red-orange in colour like a flame.
- A spike (“kind of inflorescence”) made up of spikelets.
- Of this kinde, there is founde an other, the Spikes, eares, or torches wherof, are very dubble, ſo as in euery Spyky eare, in ſteede of the little knappes or heades, it bringeth forth a number of other ſmal torches, wherof eche one is lyke to the ſpike or torch of great Plantayne.1578, Rembert Dodoens, “Of Plantayne or Waybrede”, in Henry Lyte, transl., A Niewe Herball, or Historie of Plantes: […], London: […] [Henry [i.e., Hendrik van der] Loë for] Gerard Dewes, […], →OCLC...
- The common mullein, great mullein, or torchwort (Verbascum thapsus).
- [page 118] The white male Mulleyn (or rather Wolleyn) hath […] the whole top with his pleaſant yellow floures ſheweth like to a waxe Candell or taper cunningly wrought. […] [pages 119–120] Mulleyn is called […] in English alſo Tapſus barbatus, Mulleyne, or rather Wulleyn, Hig[h]taper, Torches, and...1578, Rembert Dodoens, “Of Mulleyne⸝ or Hygtaper”, in Henry Lyte, transl., A Niewe Herball, or Historie of Plantes: […], London: […] [Henry [i.e., Hendrik van der] Loë for] Gerard Dewes, […], →OCLC...
- A cactus with a very elongated body; a ceroid cactus; a torch cactus or torch-thistle.
- Cereus Peruuianus ſpinoſus L'Obelij. The torch, or thornie Euphorbium. […] [T]his plant, vvhich is called of the Indians in their mother toong Vragua, vvhich is as much to ſay, a torch, taper, or vvaxe candle, vvhereupon it hath been called in Latine of thoſe that vnderſtoode the Indian toong...1597, John Gerarde [i.e., John Gerard], “Of the Gummie Thistle Called Euphorbium”, in The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes. […], London: […] Edm[und] Bollifant, for Bonham and Iohn Norton...
- A source of enlightenment or guidance.
- [T]he Scholars of our eyes, / Our Beaux from Gallantry vvould ſoon be vviſe; / VVould gladly light, their homage to improve, / The Lamp of Knovvledge at the Torch of Love!1775 January 17 (first performance), [Richard Brinsley Sheridan], “Epilogue. By the Author. Spoken by Mrs. [Mary] Bulkley.”, in The Rivals, a Comedy. […], London: […] John Wilkie, […], published...
- In carry, hand on, pass on, take up the torch: a precious cause, principle, tradition, etc., which needs to be protected and transmitted to others.
- An arsonist.
- Some years ago, another Houston torch attached a kitchen match to the bell striker on an ordinary telephone so that it would vibrate when the phone rang. He placed a piece of sandpaper close enough to the match so that when the bell rang, the match rubbed the surface of the sandpaper and started a...1978 September 13, Leonard Mikeska, witness, “Testimony of Leonard Mikeska, Chief Arson Investigator, Houston Fire Department, Houston, Tex.”, in Arson-for-hire: Hearings before the Permanent...
- Upon the advice of the prosecutor, who was already at the arson unit's office, the torches were not arrested, but "detained" and offered the opportunity to cooperate with the investigators in their efforts to implicate the landlord. […] As one torch had had most contact with their employer...1984 March, Herbert F. Weisberg, Judith D. Feins, Jan Schreiber, “The Investigative Process: Getting Cases to Prosecution”, in Arson Investigation and Prosecution: A Study of Four Major American...
Verb (1)
torch (third-person singular simple present torches, present participle torching, simple past and past participle torched)
- To illuminate or provide (a place) with torches (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1).
- To intentionally destroy (something) by setting it on fire, especially when committing arson in furtherance of some other criminal act (e.g. insurance fraud or the destruction of evidence).
- Some hoodlums had torched a derelict automobile, which emitted a ghastly pall of thick, black smoke that filled the street.
- To make damaging claims about (someone or something); to ruin the reputation of (someone or something); to disparage, to insult.
- That influencer torched the company’s PR department.
- Of a fire: to burn.
- The flames torched up twenty feet in the air.
- To travel in a spacecraft propelled by a torch drive (“an engine which produces thrust by nuclear fusion”).
- To (appear to) flare up like a torch.
- To catch fish or other aquatic animals by torchlight; to go torch-fishing.
Verb (2)
torch (third-person singular simple present torches, present participle torching, simple past and past participle torched)
Also used as
torch is also the ellipsis of electric torch.
torch is also the ellipsis of torch drive.
torch is also the ellipsis of blowtorch.
torch meaning in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu and Bengali
torch in Hindi
- stick of wood, etc., with one end soaked in a flammable substance and set on fire; similarly shaped implement with a replaceable supply of flammable material
- मशाल maśāl, टॉर्च ṭŏrc
torch in Marathi
- मशाल, टॉर्च
torch in Urdu
- stick of wood, etc., with one end soaked in a flammable substance and set on fire; similarly shaped implement with a replaceable supply of flammable material
- مَشْعَل maś'al, ٹارْچ ṭārc
torch in Bengali
- stick of wood, etc., with one end soaked in a flammable substance and set on fire; similarly shaped implement with a replaceable supply of flammable material
- মশাল mośal
More languagesFewer languages
- torch in Telugu
- టార్చ్
- torch in Malayalam
- ടോർച്ച്
- torch in Kannada
- ಟಾರ್ಚ್
- torch in Punjabi
- ਟਾਰਚ, ਟੌਰਚ
- torch in Gujarati
- મશાલ, ટોર્ચ, ટર્ચ
- torch in Odia
- ମଶାଲ, ଟର୍ଚ
- torch in Nepali
- मशाल, टर्च, टार्च
- torch in Pashto
- مشعل maš'al
- torch in Tagalog
- sulô
- torch in Arabic
- مَشْعَل mašʕal, شُعْلَة šuʕla
- torch in Malay
- jamung, obor
- torch in Indonesian
- obor
- torch in Thai
- คบ kóp, ไต้ dtâai
- torch in Vietnamese
- đuốc, ngọn đuốc
- torch in Myanmar
- မီးတိုင် mi:tuing, မီးအိမ် mi:im, မီးတုတ် mi:tut
Examples of torch in a sentence
- [F]or this vile woman was I about to commit to danger the lives of so many noble friends—shake the foundation of a lawful throne—carry the sword and torch through the bosom of a peaceful land— […]1821 January 8, [Walter Scott], chapter XI, in Kenilworth; a Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; and John...
- He remembered […] how he heard Mrs Coldfield's feet and saw the light of the torch approaching along the upper hall and how she came and passed him, […]1936, William Faulkner, chapter IX, in Absalom, Absalom!, New York, N.Y.: The Modern Library, published 1951, →OCLC, page 370:
- Coconut palms with white-painted trunks surround the lagoon, which is lit by flaming torches at night.2005, Lee Mylne, “Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef”, in Marc Llewellyn, Lee Mylne, edited by Marie Morris, Frommer’s Australia 2005...
- Eleven days before the start of the [modern Olympic] Games, a flaming torch is ignited by the sun in Olympia at the ruins of the ancient Temple of Zeus.1984 June–July, Frances A. Harmon, “The Olympic Games—for Good and All”, in John H[arold] Johnson, editor, Ebony Jr!, volume 12, number 2...
Synonyms of torch
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of torch
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | torches |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | torches |
| present participle | torching |
| past participle | torched |
| past | torched |
Origin of torch
The noun is derived from Middle English torch, torche (“large candle; lighted stick; (figurative) sunbeam”), from Old French torche, torque (“torch; bundle of (twisted) straw”) (modern French torche); further etymology uncertain, probably from Vulgar Latin *torca (“coiled object”) (referring to a torch made from twisted plant fibres dipped in a flammable substance such as pitch), from Latin torqua, a variant of torquis (“collar of twisted metal, torque; wreath”), from torqueō (“to twist, wind”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- (“to spin; to turn”). Etymology 1 sense 2.3 (Verbascum thapsus) is either due to the plant’s spike of yellow flowers, or because its leaves and stalks were used to make torches (noun etymology 1 sense 1). Etymology 1 sense 3.2 (“precious cause, etc., which needs to be protected and transmitted to others”) is derived from Latin lampada trādere, from Ancient Greek λᾰμπᾰ́δᾰ πᾰρᾰδιδόναι (lămpắdă părădidónai, “to hand over the torch”), a reference to the torch race held at various festivals such as the Panathenaic Games in Ancient Greece, which involved a relay where a torch was passed from one runner to another. The verb is derived from the noun.
Borrowed from French torcher (“to daub; to wipe; to build or plaster with clay mixed with chopped straw”), from torche (“bundle of (twisted) straw; torch”) (see further at etymology 1) + -er (suffix forming the infinitives of first-conjugation verbs).
Words formed from torch
- carry a torch
- carry the torch
- carry a torch for
- driptorch
- dynamo torch
- hold a torch for
- oxy-gas torch
- pass the torch
- Peruvian torch
- put to the torch
- strobotorch
- torchbearer
- torchbearing
- torch ginger
- Torch Lake
- torch lamp
- torchless
- torchlight
- torchlighted
- torchlit
- torch lighter
- torchlike
- torch lily
- torchmaker
- torchmaking
- torchman
- torch runner
- torchship
- torch singer
- torch song
- torchweed
- torchwood
- torchwork
- torchwort
- torchy
- torchable
- torch down
- torcher
- torch up
- untorched
Phrases with torch
- pen torch
- blow torch
- drip torch
- dyno torch
- pine torch
- tiki torch
- weed torch
- torch drive
- torch lamps
- torch songs
- Uhuru Torch
- fusion torch
29 more phrasesFewer phrases
- pencil torch
- torch drives
- torch lilies
- cooking torch
- cutting torch
- Olympic torch
- Swedish torch
- TORCH complex
- torch gingers
- torch runners
- torch singers
- electric torch
- TORCH syndrome
- carried a torch
- carries a torch
- carrying a torch
- held a torch for
- passed the torch
- passes the torch
- carried the torch
- carries the torch
- holds a torch for
- passing the torch
- puts to the torch
- carrying the torch
- carried a torch for
- holding a torch for
- carrying a torch for
- putting to the torch
Words that rhyme with torch
Questions about torch
- What does torch mean?
- Torch means a stick of wood or plant fibres twisted together, with one end soaked in a flammable substance such as resin or tallow and set on fire, which is held in the hand, put into a wall bracket, or stuck into the ground, and used chiefly as a light source.
- What is torch in Hindi?
- Torch in Hindi is मशाल (maśāl), टॉर्च (ṭŏrc). See Torch meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use torch in a sentence?
- [F]or this vile woman was I about to commit to danger the lives of so many noble friends—shake the foundation of a lawful throne—carry the sword and torch through the bosom of a peaceful land— […]
- What part of speech is torch?
- Torch can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce torch?
- Torch is pronounced /ˈtɔːtʃ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of torch?
- The plural of torch is torches.
Words near torch in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: torch (page history and authors); torch (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); torch (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); torch (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); torch (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); torch (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); torch (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); torch (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); torch (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-torch.ogg, En-us-torch.ogg.
Cite this entry: “torch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/torch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.