scorchscorch1 /skɔːtʃ $ skɔːrtʃ/ ●○○ verb 
The walls had been blackened and scorched by fire.► see thesaurus at burn2[transitive] if strong heat or wind scorches plants, it dries and damages them: Direct sunlight will scorch the plant’s leaves.3[transitive] if strong heat scorches you, it burns you: The hot sand scorched our feet.4[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] British English informal to travel extremely fastscorch along/down/across etc He scorched out of the gate, almost crashing his new sports car.—scorched adjective
WORD ORIGINscorch1
Origin:
1100-1200 Probably from a Scandinavian languageVERB TABLE
scorch
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | scorch |
| he, she, it | scorches | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | scorched |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have scorched |
| he, she, it | has scorched | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had scorched |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will scorch |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have scorched |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am scorching |
| he, she, it | is scorching | |
| you, we, they | are scorching | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was scorching |
| you, we, they | were scorching | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been scorching |
| he, she, it | has been scorching | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been scorching |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be scorching |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been scorching |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Having the iron on a very high heat can scorch the fabric.
- Stir the onions frequently to prevent scorching.
- The heater was left on all night and it scorched the wall.
- The iron was too hot, and I scorched my shirt.
- Add water during reheating to prevent scorching.
- Another reason is the restaurant's hi-tech broiler that reaches a scorching 900 degrees.
- On her lips-a burst of crimson asymmetrical skeptical fleshy business-and-dream sensuality-the cigarette scorching away at the tip.
- The camp offers almost no protection against the scorching sun and chilly nights.
- The knees of the Doctor's trousers were scorched off in an instant.
- The stick scorched his fingers as he took the three strides across the room to his father.
- The Working Groups on Sexism continued to meet throughout the spring and into the scorching Washington summer.
- You had a magic haircut achieved without scissors and set off the smoke-alarm by scorching the toast.
THESAURUSto burn something
to damage or destroy something with fire or heat: · She lit a fire and burned his letters one by one.
(also set something on fire) to make something start burning so that it gets damaged: · Vandals set fire to an empty warehouse.· Teresa wondered if the burning log might set fire to the curtains.· The Vikings attacked villages along the coast and set them on fire.· Sparks from the fireplace could easily set the curtains on fire.
to damage the surface of something by burning it so that a dark mark is left on it: · Having the iron on a very high heat can scorch the fabric.· The heater was left on all night and it scorched the wall.
to damage hair, wool, paper etc by burning it slightly so that the ends or edges are burnt: · The flames were hot enough to singe your eyebrows.
to burn your skin with very hot liquid or steam: · The coffee was so hot it nearly scalded his tongue.· It’s easy to knock a pan off the stove and scald yourself.· He was scalded by steam escaping from the broken pipe.
technical to make something start to burn, especially something that burns easily such as a gas or chemical: · The gas is ignited by an electrical spark.· It appears he threw away a lit cigarette which ignited the petrol spilt on the ground.
Longman Language Activatorto burn something to damage or destroy something with fire or heat: · She lit a fire and burned his letters one by one.burn a hole in something (=make a hole by burning it): · Someone had dropped a cigarette and burned a hole in the carpet.burn something to a crisp/cinder (=destroy something completely by burning it): · Most of his possessions had been burnt to a cinder.
to completely destroy a building by burning it: burn down something: · Police believe students are responsible for burning down the school.burn something down: · Her ex-husband threatened to burn the house down with her and the kids inside.
to destroy unwanted things by burning them in a special machine: · Household waste is usually incinerated after it has been collected.· All the clothes that were affected by radiation had to be incinerated.
to burn the surface of something and leave a dark mark on it: · The heater was left on all night and it scorched the wall.· Having the iron on a very high heat can scorch the fabric.
to damage something such as hair, wool, or paper by burning it slightly so that the ends or edges are burnt: · The flames were hot enough to singe your eyebrows.· The rug was singed by a piece of burning coal that had fallen from the fire.
wood, sticks, bones etc that are charred are black because they have been damaged by burning: · In the cave they found some charred animal bones.· It was nearly impossible to recognize the charred bodies.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[intransitive, transitive] if you scorch something, or if it scorches, its surface burns slightly and changes colour: (=extreme heat)· The desert is a place of scorching heat by day and bitter cold by night.
also boiling/broiling hot American English (=used about weather that is very hot) a scorching hot week in August
a scorching hot week in August (=a mark caused by burning)· There appeared to be scorch marks on the ceiling.
The walls had been blackened and scorched by fire.► see thesaurus at burn2[transitive] if strong heat or wind scorches plants, it dries and damages them: Direct sunlight will scorch the plant’s leaves.3[transitive] if strong heat scorches you, it burns you: The hot sand scorched our feet.4[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] British English informal to travel extremely fastscorch along/down/across etc He scorched out of the gate, almost crashing his new sports car.—scorched adjective