parch
verb
ˈpärch 
parched; parching; parches
transitive verb
1
: to toast under dry heat
2
: to shrivel with heat
3
: to dry or shrivel with cold
intransitive verb
: to become dry or scorched
Synonyms
- dehydrate
- desiccate
- dry
- scorch
- sear
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The hot desert sun had parched the land. the heat has really parched my throat
Recent Examples on the Web In fact, an excessive, prolonged heat wave will further parch large swaths of California in the longest and hottest heat wave of the year, according to forecasters at the National Weather Service. 
Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2022 Wine yields are looking shaky as blistering heatwaves continue to parch the French countryside. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Aug. 2022 Global warming creates drier air and helps parch vegetation that fuels horrific wildfires. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2021 The liquid goes on like a velvet gloss, dries to a transfer-proof matte that endures through multiple meals and, thrillingly, doesn’t parch the lips in the process. Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 4 June 2021 If that deficit is cranked up for a long time, soils and vegetation will parch. Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, 17 Sep. 2020 Courtesy of Walmart Even frequent hand-washing won’t parch your skin thanks to hemp seed, rich in vitamin E and omega fatty acid. Erica Metzger, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2020 In recent years, California’s fall wildfire season has extended to much of the year with wet winters and springs followed quickly by hot, dry summers, which parch the natural fuel that flourished with the rains. Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2019 Parts of the Andes Mountains and foothills down to the coast have been parched by an unprecedented 10-year dry spell that has cut some river flows by up to 80 percent. Bob Berwyn, ExpressNews.com, 16 Apr. 2020 See More
Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2022 Wine yields are looking shaky as blistering heatwaves continue to parch the French countryside. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Aug. 2022 Global warming creates drier air and helps parch vegetation that fuels horrific wildfires. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2021 The liquid goes on like a velvet gloss, dries to a transfer-proof matte that endures through multiple meals and, thrillingly, doesn’t parch the lips in the process. Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 4 June 2021 If that deficit is cranked up for a long time, soils and vegetation will parch. Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, 17 Sep. 2020 Courtesy of Walmart Even frequent hand-washing won’t parch your skin thanks to hemp seed, rich in vitamin E and omega fatty acid. Erica Metzger, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2020 In recent years, California’s fall wildfire season has extended to much of the year with wet winters and springs followed quickly by hot, dry summers, which parch the natural fuel that flourished with the rains. Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2019 Parts of the Andes Mountains and foothills down to the coast have been parched by an unprecedented 10-year dry spell that has cut some river flows by up to 80 percent. Bob Berwyn, ExpressNews.com, 16 Apr. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
parch
verb
ˈpärch
parched; parching
: to dry or make dry from heat and lack of moisture
The heat and drought of dog days had parched the earth … William Armstrong, Sounder
William Armstrong, Sounderparches
verb
as in dries
to make dry the heat has really parched my throat Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dries
- scorches
- desiccates
- bakes
- dehydrates
- sears
- drains
- shrivels
- evaporates
- dehumidifies
- mummifies
- withers
- wizens
- air-dries
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- waters
- drenches
- floods
- washes
- wets
- hydrates
- saturates
- moistens
- inundates
- soaks
- bathes
- drowns
- deluges
- douses
- damps
- overflows
- dampens
- sops
- souses
- humidifies
- waterlogs
- submerges
- swamps
- rehydrates
- dowses
- dips
- dunks