parched; parching; parches

transitive verb

1
: to toast under dry heat
2
: to shrivel with heat
3
: to dry or shrivel with cold

intransitive verb

: to become dry or scorched

Examples of parch in a Sentence

The hot desert sun had parched the land. the heat has really parched my throat
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In more rural areas, however, adaptation might require moving outdoor work hours to after sunset, when temperatures drop, or covering irrigation ditches to avoid excess evaporation that could leave crops parched during droughts. Alice Hill, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2025 Los Angeles has received essentially no rainfall in over 10 months, with the driest start to a rainy season on record, parching soils and vegetation and setting the stage for extreme winds to intensify and spread the fires. Peter H. Gleick, Scientific American, 24 Jan. 2025 But leaders say traditional practices mitigated damage Jan. 19, 2025 An extreme lack of rain plays a major role in explaining Southern California’s fire woes, where vegetation is parched and flammable, making brush far more likely to turn into a spot fire should an ember land on it. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2025 This lack of precipitation has left the landscape parched and ready to burn. Phil De Luna, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for parch

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of parch was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Parch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parch. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

parch

verb
1
: to toast by dry heat
2
: to wilt with heat

More from Merriam-Webster on parch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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