retouch

verb re·touch \ (ˌ)rē-ˈtəch \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of retouch

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

See retouch defined for English-language learners

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Examples of retouch in a Sentence

The photo had been retouched to remove the wrinkles around his eyes.

Recent Examples of retouch from the Web

Clothing brand Aerie was notably the first major company to eliminate retouching on their ads in 2014.

— julie mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "Target Debuts New Line of Swimsuits with Ads Free of Reshaping or Airbrushing," 20 Mar. 2018
If the point of the selfie is to proudly share our beauty with others, then aren't retouching apps like this counteracting that very point?

— lauren alexis fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Mirror, Mirror: Photoshop App Gets a FaceTime Treatment," 23 July 2014
Deciding if a runner failed to retouch his base after a ball is legally caught before he or his base is tagged by a fielder at all bases.

— ron higgins, NOLA.com, "SEC baseball adds 6 instant replay reviewable challenges for its coaches," 16 Mar. 2018
The actress shared her and Mendes’ retouched images on her Instagram Story.

— refinery29.com, "Lili Reinhart Is Upset Over 'Distorted' Photos," 9 Mar. 2018
The trio are the newest models for clothing brand Aerie, and none of their ad campaign photos will be retouched.

— julie mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "Aly Raisman, Yara Shahidi and Rachel Platten Will Go Unretouched for Aerie: 'We Need Diversity'," 25 Jan. 2018
Shot, designed, laid out, retouched, and printed in just two weeks, this commemorative piece serves as a centerpiece for the collaboration.

— catherine scott, Vogue, "6 Jewelry Designers Create a Capsule Collection Celebrating Australian Diamonds," 19 Jan. 2018
Moreover, the painting has been retouched extensively.

— stephan salisbury, Philly.com, "Pa. Historical Society seeks to sell portrait of William Hamilton, the party boy who built the Woodlands," 9 Jan. 2018
This cover's rollout is significantly less drama-filled than Lupita's previous cover effort for Grazia U.K., which got criticism from the actress and her fans when it was revealed that Lupita's kinky puff was retouched out of the image.

— evelyn wang, Allure, "Lupita Nyong'o Covers Vogue's January Issue in A Gorgeous Sculptural Hairstyle," 11 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'retouch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of retouch

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1650

See Words from the same year

retouch

noun re·touch \ ˈrē-ˌtəch , (ˌ)rē-ˈtəch \

Definition of retouch

: the act or process or an instance of retouching; especially : the retouching of a new growth of hair

Recent Examples of retouch from the Web

To start, Sheriff used Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r instant retouch primer.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "The Best and Biggest Hair at the Oscars," 4 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of retouch

1703

RETOUCH Defined for English Language Learners

retouch

verb

Definition of retouch for English Language Learners

: to make small changes to (something, such as a photograph) in order to improve the way it looks

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retouch

Definition of retouch

retoucher

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Recent Examples of retouch from the Web

Origin and Etymology of retouch

retouch

Definition of retouch

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RETOUCH Defined for English Language Learners

retouch

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Definition of retouch

retoucher

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Origin and Etymology of retouch

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