scorch

1 of 3

verb (1)

scorched; scorching; scorches

transitive verb

1
: to burn a surface of so as to change its color and texture
2
a
: to dry or shrivel with or as if with intense heat : parch
b
: to afflict painfully with censure or sarcasm
3
: devastate
especially : to destroy (something, such as property of possible use to an advancing enemy) before abandoning
used in the phrase scorched earth

intransitive verb

1
: to become scorched
2
: to travel at great and usually excessive speed
3
: to cause intense heat or mental anguish
scorching sun
scorching fury
scorchingly adverb

scorch

2 of 3

noun

1
: a result of scorching
2
: a browning of plant tissues usually from disease or heat

scorch

3 of 3

verb (2)

scorched; scorching; scorches

transitive verb

dialectal British
: cut, slash

Examples of scorch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Earth’s core, at a scorching 6,000 °C, radiates heat through layers of magma, continental crust, and sedimentary rock. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024 Plus, spring is the ideal time to visit before these desert gems start scorching in the summer heat. Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 4 Mar. 2024 The first is that under watering can scorch or burn the leaves. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024 Their email discussion group, like much of the campus, lit up with scorching debate. Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 And the 687 Reamer fire in Hutchinson County has scorched 2,000 and is 10% contained. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 March provides the sort of weather ideal for spring training, hiking, and other outdoor activities before the heat scorches the Valley. Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 Key Facts The Smokehouse Creek fire, north of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle, has scorched more than 1.07 million acres as of Thursday morning, and is only 3% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Brian Bushard, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The scorching new track is stuffed with dizzying riffs that always seem to lead to downbeat punches. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
Slow cookers with high heat were monitored for heat consistency and food scorches. Deanne Revel, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Sep. 2023 The heat and drought put a major stress on trees and the summer sun scorches moisture from soil, burns leaves and dries out roots. Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023 Morning traffic returned without much fanfare Monday to the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles, propped up by a series of temporary shoring structures and still bearing black scorch marks from the massive fire that burned under the overpass this month. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023 This would be consistent with a rocket approaching from the southwest, as rockets scorch and damage the earth on approach to the ground. Paul P. Murphy, CNN, 21 Oct. 2023 In any case, at such a short range — less than 10 miles — the missile is most likely to have landed with unspent fuel in its rocket motor, which would detonate or burn upon impact, offering a possible explanation for the widespread scorch marks at the market. Alexander Cardia, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023 Washington’s heat only grazed the heights of scorch on Saturday, but the humidity helped the day approach the state of a significant summer swelter. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 July 2023 Throughout her career, the richness of O’Connor’s music was often surpassed by the vehemence and scorch of her politics. Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 27 July 2023 Other parts of the world have felt the scorch this year. Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 8 June 2023
Verb
That swirling cloud of steam worthy of a Vegas-residency show, that pop-pop-sizzle of meat and onions against scorching-hot cast iron. Emily Heil, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023 Thursday, Latin Academy at No. 18 Archbishop Williams, 3:30 p.m. — Standout pitcher Alanis Toledano and the Dragons travel to Braintree to battle a scorching-hot Bishops offense, averaging over 18 runs a game. Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Apr. 2023 So consider adding some low-maintenance options that will survive the scorching temps to come. Ryan Conner, Dallas News, 30 Mar. 2023 Recently, the moderate Third Way think tank published a scorching analysis laying out how a third-party candidacy would lead to another Trump presidency. Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 28 Mar. 2023 Protect your scalp from the scorching sun and your face from a burn with the Fancet Packable Straw Fedora, which comes in four adjustable sizes and 10 colors. Jill Schildhouse, Travel + Leisure, 27 Mar. 2023 Payton Smith Payton Smith La Jolla Girls track Off to a scorching start, the Vikings’ junior captured the 200 (24.08 seconds) and 400-meter (54.85 seconds) dashes at the Mt. Carmel Invitational. San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023 Duluth may offer an escape from scorching temperatures, but its winters are long and gray. Debra Kamin, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2023 The Blue Demons are a scorching 14-of-18 from the field. Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scorch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English; probably akin to Middle English scorcnen to become singed, scorklen to parch

Verb (2)

Middle English, perhaps blend of scoren to score and scocchen to scotch

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scorch was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near scorch

Cite this Entry

“Scorch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scorch. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

scorch

1 of 2 verb
1
: to burn on the surface
2
: to burn so as to dry, wilt, or turn brown

scorch

2 of 2 noun
1
: a result of scorching
2
: a browning of plant tissues usually caused by disease or heat

More from Merriam-Webster on scorch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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