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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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
In 2011, Game joined Snoop Dogg and other West Coast veterans for a ceremonial passing of the torch to Kendrick. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026 Now the torch has passed again to Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, and a wave of young talent that gives the sport fresh energy for the next decade. — Jesse Kirshbaum, SPIN, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
Students marched against the Vietnam War, demanded racial and gender justice, challenged puritanical norms, and torched symbols of establishment power. — Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026 Earlier this month, a ComEd pole fell, lighting a fire on its own in a parking lot and torched several cars. — Tara Molina, CBS News, 24 Aug. 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
  • State Assembly Member John Harabedian, who represents Altadena, where the Eaton Fire killed 19 people and burned about 9,400 homes and structures, authored one of the bills passed this week.
    — Evan Bush, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Soviet Union was an archetypal fragile superpower, its red star burning bright before its dramatic final implosion.
    — Ben Bland, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of burn
Noun
  • In the coming years, his life would be shaken by arsonists and assassinations, and dramatically shifting public views about Arabs.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Rebuilt in 2005 after an arsonist’s firebomb destroyed the original in 2003, the museum’s permanent exhibit includes artifacts from Kor’s life from Auschwitz to Terre Haute.
    — Brian Garrido, Midwest Living, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of arsonist
Verb
  • During the first hour, pine grove owners urged fire commanders to light a backfire a few hundred yards from Le Porge.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Down the hall, his girlfriend examines her birth chart, lights the palo santo and wonders whether Mercury is going to wreck her Tuesday.
    — Ryan Zickgraf, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 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
  • The scale of this reliance was particularly evident during the 2022 fighting in the Donbas region, when Russian forces were firing approximately 20,000 artillery rounds per day, with peak rates exceeding 32,000 rounds on some days.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the vital energy waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, effectively controlling much of the traffic in the strait.
    — Konstantin Toropin, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of fire
Verb
  • The explosion, which involved more than a million pounds of fireworks, killed seven people and ignited a 78-acre wildfire.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While Alaska’s smokejumpers waited for thunderheads to ignite fires, several of them worked in the loft, an airy room crammed with sewing machines and bolts of fabric on long tables.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of ignite
Verb
  • This wildfire season was supercharged by heavy rains in January that spurred vegetation growth, which became kindling when the summer heat arrived.
    — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • In northern states, like Washington and Oregon, the dry weather could further kindle destructive fires that have scorched thousands of acres.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 10 Aug. 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on torch

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about torch

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