touch /tuch/ transitive verb- To come or be in contact with
- To cause to be in contact
- To feel or tap lightly, esp with the hand
- To get at
- To reach as far as
- To attain
- To equal, rival or compare with
- To make a light application to
- To begin to eat, eat a little of
- To make use of
- To affect, esp injuriously
- To hit, wound or injure
- To disturb or harm (usu with neg)
- To cope or deal with
- To impress
- To affect with emotion, esp pity
- To have to do with
- To concern
- To strike home to
- To mark or modify by light strokes
- To tinge
- To extract money from (with for; informal)
- To make some reference to, say something about esp in passing
- To meet without cutting, or meet tangentially (geometry)
- To play (eg an instrument or melody) (music)
- To call at (eg a port)
- To cause to touch the ground behind the try-line (commonly with down; rugby)
- To test as with a touchstone
- To receive, draw, pocket
- To bribe (obsolete)
- To cheat (slang)
intransitive verb- To be or come in contact
- To make a passing call at a port
- To verge
- To make some mention or reference (with on or upon)
- To have reference
noun- The sense by which nature, texture and quality of objects can be perceived through physical contact with the hands, feet, skin, lips, etc
- The particular texture and qualities as perceived through such contact
- An act of touching or the sense of being touched
- A feeling
- A slight application, modification, stroke
- A small quantity
- A slight attack of illness
- A tinge
- A trace
- A smack
- Ability, skill
- A trait
- A little
- A slight hit, wound, blemish or reproach
- The manner or nicety of producing tone on (now esp) a keyed instrument
- The instrument's response
- A characteristic manner, style or trait
- A stroke of art
- The relation of communication, sympathy, harmony
- Communication, contact
- A game in which one has to pursue and touch others
- The area outside the field of play (football, etc)
- A test, eg with a touchstone
- A touchstone
- A black marble or similar monumental stone (obsolete)
- An official stamp of fineness on gold, etc
- Fineness
- Stamp (figurative)
- Theft (slang)
- A sum got by theft or by touching (slang)
- A person from whom money can be obtained by touching (slang)
- That which will find buyers at such and such a price (slang)
ORIGIN: OFr tuchier (Fr toucher); origin doubtful touchˈable adjective - Capable of being touched
- Fit to be touched
touchˈableness noun touched adjective - Having been touched
- Affected with emotion, esp pity
- Slightly unsound mentally
touchˈer noun touchˈily adverb touchˈiness noun touchˈing noun adjective - Affecting
- Moving
- Pathetic
preposition Concerning touchˈingly adverb touchˈingness noun touchˈless adjective - Without a sense of touch
- Intangible
- Not involving physical contact
touchˈy adjective (touchˈier; touchˈiest) - Over-sensitive
- Irascible
- Risky, requiring careful handling or caution (esp US)
touch and go noun - A narrow escape
- A critical or precariously balanced situation
adjective - Precarious
- Off-hand
touchˈback noun (American football) A play in which the ball is dead on or behind a team's own goal line, having been put across the line by an opponent but actually put down by a member of that team touchˈ-box noun A tinderbox for a matchlock touchˈdown noun - Touching of the ball to the ground by a player behind the try-line (rugby)
- The possession of the ball by a player behind the opponents' goal line (American football)
- (of air- or spacecraft) the act of alighting
touch football noun Football in which tackling is replaced by touching touch hole noun The small hole of a cannon through which the fire is communicated to the charge touchˈ-in-goal noun (rugby) The areas at each end of the pitch behind the try-lines and outside the touchlines touch judge noun (rugby) An official who marks when and where the ball goes into touch touchˈline noun Either of the lines marking the side boundary in football, etc touch mark noun The maker's official stamp on pewter touchˈ-me-not noun - Any of various plants of the genus Impatiens, having seed-pods which, when ripe, spring open at a touch
- Lupus
- A forbidden topic
adjective Stand-offish touch-me-notˈishness noun touchpad noun (computing) A small portable input device, operated by touching different areas on its surface (also trackpad) touchˈpaper noun Paper steeped in saltpetre for firing gunpowder, fireworks, etc touchˈ-piece noun A coin or medal formerly given by a king to those he touched for king's evil touchˈ-plate noun A plate bearing the pewterers' official stamp touch rugby or touch rugger noun A modified form of rugby in which touching takes the place of tackling touch screen noun (computing) A screen that doubles as an input device, and is operated by being touched touchˈ-screen adjective touchˈstone noun - Lydian stone, a highly siliceous (usu black) stone or other stone for testing gold or silver by the colour of the mark each makes on it
- Any criterion
touch therapy noun A therapy, such as massage, laying-on of hands, reflexology or aromatherapy, involving physical contact touchˈtone adjective (of telephones) having push buttons (rather than a dial) that cause distinct tones to sound at the exchange noun (Touchtone®) telephone equipment using this system touchˈ-type transitive verb and intransitive verb To type without looking at the keys of the typewriter touchˈ-typing noun touchˈ-typist noun touchˈ-up noun - The act or process of renovating or making minor improvements
- An instance of this
touchˈwood noun Decayed wood that can be used as tinder touchy-feelˈy adjective (informal) Involving emotion and personal contact as distinct from intellectual activity an easy (or a soft) touch (informal) A person or institution easily persuaded, esp to lend money in (or out of) touch In (or out of) communication or direct relations near touch A close shave touch base (with) (chiefly N American informal) To make personal contact with touch down - (of an air or spacecraft) to land
- To ground the ball behind the opposing team's goal line (rugby)
touch off To trigger, to cause to begin (also figurative) touch up - To improve by a series of small touches
- To stimulate (eg a horse) by a light blow
- To caress, touch or molest sexually
touch wood or (N American) knock on wood or knock wood To touch something wooden as a superstitious act to guard against bad luck (also used as an interjection to accompany the gesture or as a substitute for it) |