torchbearer

noun

torch·​bear·​er ˈtȯrch-ˌber-ər How to pronounce torchbearer (audio)
1
: one that carries a torch
2
: someone in the forefront of a campaign, crusade, or movement

Examples of torchbearer in a Sentence

He became the torchbearer for civil rights.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Gel-Nimbus line was introduced in 1999 and has been a torchbearer for Asics’ most comfortable cushioning and technologies. Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 Dec. 2025 Snoop also served as a torchbearer for the Olympic flame ahead of the Opening Ceremony. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 11 Dec. 2025 Giancarlo Peris, a runner who in was the final torchbearer for the Rome Olympic Games in 1960, handed the lantern with the Olympic Flame to President of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, Giovanni Malagò, to light the cauldron. Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025 Kulechov is one of DeFi’s torchbearers. Ben Weiss, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for torchbearer

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of torchbearer was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Torchbearer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torchbearer. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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