scorched; scorching; scorches
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
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
1
: a result of scorching
2
: a browning of plant tissues usually from disease or heat
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
Kiana Murden, Vogue, 21 May 2025
The three wildfires have combined to scorch more than 30,000 acres of land in St. Louis County, destroying more than 150 structures, including houses and cabins, in their wake.
—Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 20 May 2025
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
Tropical lowlands that flood during the rainy season and scorch during the sunny season don’t exactly sound ideal for agriculture.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scorch
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Verb
The ceramic plates are also infused with volcanic rock and minerals to help seal the cuticle without stripping moisture, leaving hair sleek, not scorched.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 21 May 2025
The three wildfires have combined to scorch more than 30,000 acres of land in St. Louis County, destroying more than 150 structures, including houses and cabins, in their wake.
—Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 20 May 2025
Noun
Although wildfires scorch, storms rage and earthquakes shake all around the periphery of the film’s plot, these two lonely, early-middle-aged souls can’t stop their feelings despite clear impediments to true love like — oops!
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
Tropical lowlands that flood during the rainy season and scorch during the sunny season don’t exactly sound ideal for agriculture.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scorch
Cite this Entry
“Scorch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scorch. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scorch
1 of 2 verb1
: to burn on the surface
2
: to burn so as to dry, wilt, or turn brown
scorch
2 of 2 noun1
: a result of scorching
2
: a browning of plant tissues usually caused by disease or heat
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