scorch

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈskȯrch 

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

ˈskȯr-chiŋ-lē 

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

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• char
• sear
• singe

Examples of scorch in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the picnickers kept scorching their marshmallows, deliberately sticking their skewers into the licking flames of the campfire

weeks of drought had badly scorched the soil

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The crash ignited a fire that scorched approximately 100 to 200 yards of grass. —Hanna Park, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024

Marisco restaurants dot the landscape of Phoenix in the way the scorching heat plagues our calendar. —David Ulloa Jr, The Arizona Republic, 19 Oct. 2024

Noun

Local cops suspected him of homicide The week’s biggest stories (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles scorches under triple-digit temperatures with little relief overnight. —Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2024

This is the same wild dragon that has been roaming the land, leaving scorch marks on the ground to mark its prey. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2024

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

Phrases Containing scorch

• leaf scorch

Kids Definition

scorch

1 of 2 verb

ˈskȯrch 

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