torchbearer

noun

torch·​bear·​er ˈtȯrch-ˌber-ər 

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

The Mick Martin Celestial Birthday Celebration doubles as a fundraiser for Sacramento Blues Society’s Blues in the Schools and features the newest iteration of Mick Martin Big Blues Band featuring Marcel Smith, joined by local torchbearers Dana Moret and Katie Knipp. —Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026

Carasso has received the Resilience Award from the Jewish Agency for Israel and was selected as Israel’s youngest torchbearer at the country’s Independence Day ceremony. —Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026

Ware broke out in 2012 with a debut that established her as a torchbearer for sophisti-pop and the Big British Ballad. —Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026

Those players are the next torchbearers for the franchise — just as Greene and Torkelson once were only a few short years ago. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for torchbearer

• cupbearer
• declarer
• preparer
• repairer
• seafarer
• wayfarer
• bearer
• carer
• error
• fairer
• ferrer
• rarer