a light to be carried in the hand, consisting of some combustible substance, as resinous wood, or of twisted flax or the like soaked with tallow or other flammable substance, ignited at the upper end.
something considered as a source of illumination, enlightenment, guidance, etc.: the torch of learning.
any of various lamplike devices that produce a hot flame and are used for soldering, burning off paint, etc.
Slang. an arsonist.
Chiefly British. flashlight (def. 1).
verb (used without object)
to burn or flare up like a torch.
verb (used with object)
to subject to the flame or light of a torch, as in order to burn, sear, solder, or illuminate.
Slang. to set fire to maliciously, especially in order to collect insurance.
Idioms for torch
carry the / a torch for, Slang. to be in love with, especially to suffer from unrequited love for: He still carries a torch for his ex-wife.
Origin of torch
1
1250–1300; Middle English torche (noun) <Old French <Vulgar Latin *torca something twisted. See torque
He also cited contracts and connections with the University of Houston and the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals, known as TORCH.
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She’s tired, and maybe we should pick up the torch a little.
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As Samek wrote in the Quarterly Journal of Speech, “Runners literally and figuratively passed the torch from one era in feminist history to another.”
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I mean, they torch up small trees and they do burn into crowns in certain areas if there’s a steep slope or strong or if it’s a really hot fire.
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They often feature multiple brightness levels and strobe functions for emergencies, as well as memory technology that recalls previous settings when the torch is turned on.
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Thankfully, my father took up the torch and left no doubt that we were looked after.
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It feels like someone is chopping up my legs with a machete or burning them with a torch from the inside out.
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After an image-invigorating tenure as U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton will pass the torch to Sen. John Kerry on Friday.
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China carried the torch: Under Mao Tse-tung, “the Chinese people were doing well.”
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Clarence House today released a video of Prince Harry speaking about the start of the Paralympics torch relay.
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I have seen the flames increase when agitated by waving the torch; and when no one shook it, I have seen them die away.
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And with his torch he burned stripes down the arms and legs of the shrinking Chulavete.
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Just at this moment Harriet struck the bear's hip with the torch.
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Beside Sophia, a hulking figure carried a torch to light their way.
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In the meantime, Stayford took a torch and went in to arouse the boys.
The Cave by the Beech Fork|Henry S. Spalding
British Dictionary definitions for torch
torch
/ (tɔːtʃ) /
noun
a small portable electric lamp powered by one or more dry batteriesUS and Canadian word: flashlight
a wooden or tow shaft dipped in wax or tallow and set alight
anything regarded as a source of enlightenment, guidance, etcthe torch of evangelism
any apparatus that burns with a hot flame for welding, brazing, or soldering
carry a torch forto be in love with, esp unrequitedly
put to the torchto set fire to; burn downthe looted monastery was put to the torch
verb
(tr)slangto set fire to, esp deliberately as an act of arson
Derived forms of torch
torchlike, adjective
Word Origin for torch
C13: from Old French torche handful of twisted straw, from Vulgar Latin torca (unattested), from Latin torquēre to twist