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 duo are among several torchbearers tasked with carrying the Olympic Flame from Rome to Milan before the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6, HBO Max and the Olympic organizers said Thursday. —Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026

Bryant was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, a proud torchbearer for Duval County. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026

For years, Erik Spoelstra has dismissed questions when he’s mired in an offensive slump, saying that’s not how the torchbearer of Heat Culture should be judged. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Jan. 2026

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

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