torch 1 of 2

noun

ˈtȯrch How to pronounce torch (audio)
Definition of torchnext
as in igniter
a person who deliberately and unlawfully sets fire to a building or other property several suspicious fires in the past few months have probably been set by the same torch

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torch

2 of 2

verb

as in to burn
to set (something) on fire police suspect that the owner torched the house for the insurance money

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of torch
Noun
The ambient 20-lumen white flood and 3-lumen red light are located on the broad front side of the torch, designed to provide more of a localized diffuse light. — New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026 The Mount Lebanon community came together on Friday for its first-ever hometown torch run, which raised money and awareness for a good cause. — Jessica Riley, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
Prescott has started this season hot and leads the league in passing touchdowns, and Jackson is off to a similarly blistering start after torching the Saints and Indianapolis Colts in the first two games. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 In Southeast Asia, wildfires are torching forests and peatlands in Indonesia, sending up plumes of toxic haze. — Edna Tarigan, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for torch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torch
  1. igniter
  2. burn
  3. arsonist
  4. light
  5. firebug
  6. fire
  7. ignite
  8. kindle
Noun
  • Engine starters, igniter plugs, launch pads, and controllers are all things that can cost you money.
    — Grace Dean, Space.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a push-button ignitor on the left side and a power button for the digital display on the right.
    — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of igniter
Verb
  • Oura might not be under the same pressure to access capital as a cash-burning startup.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The scene is a sensory one, with layered cowhide rugs, leather armchairs, a wood-burning fire, and twinkling chandeliers that were original to the Pulitzers’ home.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of burn
Noun
  • On Tuesday, arsonists set ablaze at least three vehicles, including a taxi and a public bus, and armed men threatened merchants in broad daylight, plunging the city into fear.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • An arsonist was caught on video setting fire inside an apartment building in Detroit.
    — Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of arsonist
Verb
  • When their demands were met and extra staff sent to the school, the strike ended, but by then the match had been lit.
    — Melissa Bell, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Researchers learned fumes accumulated in restaurants because pilot lights (small flames inside gas stoves that stay continuously lit) continued to burn gas after kitchens closed and ventilation fans were off.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of light
Noun
  • An arson fire destroys the 43-year-old Globe Theatre on March 8 (the arsonist was never caught, but a firebug had set several blazes in the park that winter).
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
  • In video released by police, the firebug could be seen setting fire to a small pile of trash next to the head of a sleeping passenger stretched out on the seat.
    — Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2025
Definition of firebug
Verb
  • Garfield plays Sam as a charming villain, capable of talking himself back into the leadership position even after he has been fired by the board for shady dealings.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The movie charts the evolution of OpenAI and dramatizes the tumultuous time when Altman was controversially fired and then rehired by the AI giant.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of fire
Verb
  • Thousands of spectators lined the Chicago River to watch floating mock-ups of Victorian houses become engulfed by flames — a la the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 — but the buildings failed to ignite.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The discovery is the latest instance of CDE leadership telling employees bedbugs are not in the building, only for more to be discovered at a later date and igniting doubt among CDE’s workforce on whether treatment is effective.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignite
Verb
  • This complicates things for Teagan, who has begun to kindle something with Cam.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Now that fall is on the horizon, hope has been kindled for abundant rainfall.
    — Robert Klose, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of kindle

Phrases Containing torch

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Cite this Entry

“Torch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torch. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on torch

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about torch

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