torch 1 of 2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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torch

2 of 2

verb

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
So far, at least, the villagers have not tried to storm the castle with flaming torches in protest. Greg Engle, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 As far as the history of hockey can be written in St. Paul, it might as well have been announced that the Statue of Liberty no longer has a torch or that the faces on Mount Rushmore have been scrubbed off by the wind. Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
There are hundreds of homes close enough for direct flames to torch them if a fire were to erupt within the reserve, Gillespie said. Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 27 Feb. 2025 Eighteen times this season, in fact, someone has torched them for four or more 3s in a game. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for torch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torch
Verb
  • The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.
    Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
    Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Verb
  • Engage Your Senses In a shared office environment, playing loud music or lighting a scented candle is frowned upon.
    Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Think of those who sit in the dark and wait their turn, hoping and waiting for a light to light their path.
    Matt Minton, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • The menacing firebug lit several blazes in South Ozone Park on July 4, including a house fire that left two residents hospitalized for more than a month.
    Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Officials said both fires were ignited by human activity and neither were contained as of Monday night.
    ASSOCIATED PRESS, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
  • This is particularly the case in healthcare, where a singular experience ignites a passion to fix a very real problem.
    Mark Francis, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Smith stressed that no shots were fired during the incident.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 29 Mar. 2025
  • On the last day of the season, when the apprentices had been winnowed from 16 to two, then-emcee Donald Trump fired Annie on national television in favor of the comedienne Joan Rivers.
    Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Why not just accept that this coastline is kindling and move on?
    Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Or is he poised for a season-ending, scorched Earth act of revenge?
    Claire Franken, TVLine, 21 Mar. 2025
  • More news: Fire scorches 24K acres, blanketing region in smoke and disrupting traffic to Florida Keys Wildfire in South Florida Fire officials in Florida have been working to stop the blaze that has scorched thousands of acres between Miami and the Florida Keys.
    Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Torch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torch. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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