retouch

1 of 2

verb

re·​touch (ˌ)rē-ˈtəch How to pronounce retouch (audio)
retouched; retouching; retouches

transitive verb

1
: to rework in order to improve : touch up
2
: to alter (something, such as a photographic negative) to produce a more desirable appearance
3
: to color (new growth of hair) to match previously dyed, tinted, or bleached hair

intransitive verb

: to make or give retouches
retoucher noun

retouch

2 of 2

noun

re·​touch ˈrē-ˌtəch How to pronounce retouch (audio)
(ˌ)rē-ˈtəch
: the act or process or an instance of retouching
especially : the retouching of a new growth of hair

Examples of retouch in a Sentence

Verb The photo had been retouched to remove the wrinkles around his eyes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Ohtani failed to retouch second base while returning to first on a deep flyout by Freddie Freeman. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Apps abound, offering the easiest of experiences in creating and retouching photos and videos which can then be easily transmitted online and through social media. Deepti Hajela, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 Clarke is an expert in the art of editing and retouching photos, and friends wanted his opinion of the image. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Royal family Another official photograph involving Catherine, Princess of Wales was digitally manipulated, according to a leading photo agency, sparking a second royal retouching controversy. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Reality is retouched and run through filters, allowing some public figures to appear ageless while sparking unreasonable suspicions about those who don’t. Tiffany Hsu, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Francis would have known that, for more than a century before he was born, in 1937, photographic technique — lighting and exposure, in the studio, and then developing and printing and even retouching, in the darkroom — had deliberately been used to lighten Black complexions, and negate them. Blake Gopnik, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 With Luminar's photo-editing software, which won the Red Dot Award for Interface Design, photographers can retouch skin, change the direction of a light source, and remove objects from a photo, all with a few clicks thanks to AI assistance. Stackcommerce Team, PCMAG, 26 Jan. 2024 One of her first assignments was to help retouch and digitize thousands of images of 9/11 victims, known internally by the bloodless code name PENTTBOM. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
Noun
Color retouch costs range between $65 and $70 and bayalage or ombre are $150 and up. Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2023 That's why Moore suggests going into the salon for a root retouch every four to eight weeks to maintain color vibrancy. Amina Ayoud, Allure, 23 Mar. 2022 The painting has undergone many retouches and restorations in the past and some of the later additions are starting to fade. Aleksandar Furtula, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2019 Advertising everything from auto shops and grocers to bars and chapels, Carey's work started from a simple commercial core (NextCity profiled him in 2017, noting Carey would even offer retouches to businesses for $10 or $15). Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, 23 Nov. 2018 To start, Sheriff used Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r instant retouch primer. Ashley Weatherford, The Cut, 4 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retouch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

French retoucher, from Middle French, from re- + toucher to touch

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1650, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1703, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of retouch was circa 1650

Dictionary Entries Near retouch

Cite this Entry

“Retouch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retouch. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

retouch

verb
re·​touch
(ˈ)rē-ˈtəch
: touch up
especially : to change (as a photographic negative) in order to produce a more desirable appearance
retouch
ˈrē-ˌtəch
(ˈ)rē-ˈtəch
noun
retoucher
(ˈ)rē-ˈtəch-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on retouch

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