scorch
/skɔːtʃ
/verb
1 [with object] Burn the surface of (something) with flame or heat: surrounding houses were scorched by heat from the blast...
- I could feel the heat surrounding me, burning me, scorching my skin, causing me to cry out wordlessly in pain.
- Closely following it was a blast of heat which scorched clothes, ignited buildings and set even the individual blades of grass on fire.
- The bright suns rays touched her sneakers, scorching them with fiery heat.
Synonyms
burn, sear, singe, char, blacken, discolour
rare torrefy
1.1 [no object] Become burnt when exposed to heat or a flame: the meat had scorched...
- And then my lips, my tongue, were burning, scorching, stinging from the heat.
- I dropped my sword in panic because I thought that my hands would scorch in the flames.
- Stir occasionally for even heating and to prevent scorching.
Synonyms
dry up, desiccate, parch, wither, shrivel;
burn, bake, roast
1.2 (often as adjective scorched) (Of the heat of the sun) cause (vegetation or a place) to become dried out and lifeless: a desolate, scorched landscape...
- I live in an area that was scorched by drought for several years.
- The countryside had been scorched; the acacia hedges were tipped with orange.
- In winter much of it is under snow; in spring grass appears, which is scorched dry and swept by the dust storms of summer.
2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] informal (Of a person or vehicle) move very fast: a sports car scorching along the expressway...
- The Glasgow speedster has fallen from grace almost as fast as the winger scorches down the sidelines.
- This inoffensive-looking car can scorch along at impressive figures, and, as it is based on a chassis with a decent set of dimensions, it has real space for adults in the back.
- He scorched out of traps to set a blistering pace.
Synonyms
speed, zoom, whizz, blast
informal zap, zip, burn, burn rubber, belt, vroom
British informal bomb, bucket, put one's foot down, blind
North American informal barrel, lay rubber
noun [mass noun]
1The burning or charring of the surface of something: [as modifier]: a scorch mark...
- Huge black scorch marks marred the surface that would have normally been a shiny metal.
- Is that what this scorch mark is all about then?
- There were no scorch marks, no soiling of any sort.
1.1 Botany A form of plant necrosis, typically of fungal origin, marked by browning of leaf margins.Severe scorch can result in premature leaf or needle loss....
- And here's another tip: Cover the lower trunk sections in tree-wrap paper or burlap strips to ward off animals, sun scorch and errant weedwacker wires.
- There is now a noticeable yellow patch developing and the bushes show signs of leaf scorch.
Origin
Middle English (as a verb): perhaps related to Old Norse skorpna 'be shrivelled'.