starched; starching; starches
: to stiffen with or as if with starch
1
: a white odorless tasteless granular or powdery complex carbohydrate (C6H10O5)x that is the chief storage form of carbohydrate in plants, is an important foodstuff, and is used also in adhesives and sizes, in laundering, and in pharmacy and medicine
2
: a stiff formal manner : formality
3
: resolute vigor
Examples of starch in a Sentence
Verb
He starches the collars of his shirts.
Noun
a middle-aged woman who has retained the starch of youth
Recent Examples on the Web
Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
The first Crips appeared on the streets of South Central Los Angeles in blue bandanas, leather jackets, and starched Levis between 1969 and 1971.
—Terry McDonell, Time, 21 Apr. 2026
John Magsam, Arkansas Online, 2 June 2026
It is most often thought of as the starch star of risotto, the classic Northern Italian dish that slow cooks atop the stove — bubble, stir, bubble, stir.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for starch
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Verb
Francis Ngannou sent the crowd into a frenzy after starching Philipe Lins with a terrifying counter left hand before circling the cage and screaming toward Jon Jones at cageside.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
The first Crips appeared on the streets of South Central Los Angeles in blue bandanas, leather jackets, and starched Levis between 1969 and 1971.
—Terry McDonell, Time, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
Origami Sake has four ingredients, Ozark spring water, yeast, kogi -- a type of mold that converts the starch in rice to sugar -- and specialty sake rice grown in Arkansas.
—John Magsam, Arkansas Online, 2 June 2026
It is most often thought of as the starch star of risotto, the classic Northern Italian dish that slow cooks atop the stove — bubble, stir, bubble, stir.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for starch
Cite this Entry
“Starch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starch. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
starch
1 of 2 verb
: to stiffen with or as if with starch
starch
2 of 2 noun1
: a white odorless tasteless carbohydrate that is the chief form in which carbohydrate is stored in plants, is an important food, and is used also in adhesives, in laundering, and in pharmacy and medicine
2
: a stiff formal manner : formality
3
Medical Definition
starch
noun
: a white odorless tasteless granular or powdery complex carbohydrate (C6H10O5)x that is the chief storage form of carbohydrate in plants, is an important foodstuff, has demulcent and absorbent properties, and is used in pharmacy especially as a dusting powder and as a constituent of ointments and pastes
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