scorch

[skawrch]

verb (used with object)

1. to affect the color, taste, etc., of by burning slightly.

   The collar of the shirt was yellow where the iron had scorched it.

   Synonyms: blister, char

2. to parch or shrivel with heat.

   The sun scorched the grass.

3. to criticize severely.

   Synonyms: condemn, excoriate
   Antonyms: laud

4. Machinery.,  burn.

5. to destroy (crops, towns, etc.) by or as if by fire in the path of an invading army's advance.

verb (used without object)

1. to become scorched.

   Milk scorches easily.

2. Informal.,  to travel or drive at high speed.

   The car scorched along the highway.

noun

1. a superficial burn.

scorch

/ skɔːtʃ /

verb

1. to burn or become burnt, so as to affect the colour, taste, etc, or to cause or feel pain

2. to wither or parch or cause to wither from exposure to heat

3. informal,  (intr) to be very hot

   it is scorching outside

4. informal,  (tr) to criticize harshly

5. slang,  (intr) to drive or ride very fast

noun

1. a slight burn

2. a mark caused by the application of too great heat

3. horticulture a mark or series of marks on fruit, vegetables, etc, caused by pests or insecticides

Other Word Forms

• scorching adjective
• unscorched adjective
• well-scorched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scorch¹

1400–50; late Middle English scorchen, perhaps blend of scorcnen (< Scandinavian; compare Old Norse skorpna to shrivel) and torch ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of scorch¹

C15: probably from Old Norse skorpna to shrivel up

Synonym Study

See burn ¹.

Example Sentences

Wildfire in Northern California has scorched more than 12,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, burning homes in the Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp.

From Los Angeles Times

The bot’s handlers can also finely control the heat of the burn, ensuring the seeds of invasive plants hiding the soil get scorched too.

From Los Angeles Times

It promised that the scorched frill at the bottom of a skillet was not failure, but the start of a sauce.

From Salon

The cause of the fire, which quickly scorched 300 acres, has not been determined.

From Los Angeles Times

It is no surprise that the hottest areas will affect desert teams the Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, with Florida's Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers also offering scorching summers and mild winters.

From BBC

Related Words

• bake 
• blacken 
• char 
• melt 
• parch 
• sear