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Definition of "scorch" [scorch]

  • To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. (verb-transitive)
  • To wither or parch with intense heat. (verb-transitive)
  • To destroy (land and buildings) by or as if by fire so as to leave nothing salvageable to an enemy army. (verb-transitive)
  • To subject to severe censure; excoriate. (verb-transitive)
  • To become scorched or singed. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "scorch" in a sentence
  • "Thus reflecting sagely, he kept his eyes on his plate and did justice to the fare; for one cannot scorch from the Cliff House to the Western Addition via the park without being guilty of a healthy appetite."
  • "Except for a few tell-tale spots of "scorch" marking the back of her new dress, from her appearance Tavia might never have been suspected of being the heroine of a railroad accident."
  • "Looking at where the Yorkshire / Lancashire border cuts through Todmorden Cricket Ground I am sure that you can make out the 'scorch' marks in the earth where the original hedge or ditch marking the boundary used to be."