: deprived of natural moisture
parched land
also : thirsty
He was parched after the long hike.

Examples of parched in a Sentence

Could I have some water? I'm parched.
Recent Examples on the Web Still, while the landscapes, especially in the parched Sahara section of the story, are dazzling, Carnera’s camera always keeps the focus on the humans, sometimes specks seen from great distances moving through the sand and sometimes studied in close-ups that fill the widescreen canvas. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2023 But the appliance that prevents you from waking up with parched sinuses, dry skin, or a scratchy throat might pump more than mist into the air. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2023 But what awaited Bochy late in the evening was even smoother: the kind of execution his parched team needed. Evan Grant, Dallas News, 29 Aug. 2023 Five years ago, after tropical storm-force winds whipped sparks into towering walls of flames on the parched hillsides and fields above Lahaina, Maui’s top emergency management official at the time publicly expressed his relief that a far worse disaster had been averted. Lewis Kamb, NBC News, 24 Aug. 2023 The absence of the sirens was critical because so many people had no cell service to alert them to the growing threat in the parched hills above Lahaina. Damien Cave, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2023 Dramatic weather changes for suffering Southwest Despite the flooding danger, the rainfall would help combat drought and recharge groundwater across parched portions of the Southwest. Mary Gilbert, CNN, 17 Aug. 2023 Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, the flames on Maui raced through parched brush. Claire Rush, Audrey McAvoy and Christopher Weber, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Aug. 2023 Monday was the wettest day of the year for a parched Wisconsin, bringing rain to areas that have been under drought conditions since spring. Beck Andrew Salgado, Journal Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of parched was circa 1552

Dictionary Entries Near parched

Cite this Entry

“Parched.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parched. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

parched

adjective
: deprived of natural moisture
parched hillsides
also : thirsty
parched hikers
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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