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What Do torrid and Toast Have in Common?
Hot, steamy, sultry: English is full of words that do double-duty in describing thirst traps both literal (as in the tropics) and figurative (as in, well, thirst traps). Torrid comes from the Latin verb torrēre, which means “to burn” or “to parch” and is an ancestor of our word toast. (Despite its dry implications, torrēre is also an ancestor of torrent, as in “a torrent of rain.”) Torrid first appeared in English in the 16th century and was originally used to describe something burned or scorched by exposure to the sun, but it has since taken on an extended meaning similar to the “sexy” sense of hot: “showing fiery passion,” as in “torrid love letters” or “a torrid affair.”
Examples of torrid in a Sentence
John Shipley, Twin Cities, 21 June 2025
Aaron Nesmith scored 20 points — and made six 3-pointers — during a torrid fourth quarter to set up Haliburton’s clutch basket.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
The Whitecaps’ torrid start has been muted in recent weeks, winning just two of their last eight that included a soul-crushing 5-0 defeat at Mexico’s Cruz Azul in the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on June 1 and a 2-1 loss at Columbus Crew in their last league game.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 June 2025
Sheets earned his way into being an everyday player with a torrid start to May, which included some big hits against lefties.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for torrid
Cite this Entry
“Torrid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torrid. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
from Latin torridus "dried or burnt by heat, torrid," derived from torrēre "to heat so as to dry up or burn" — related to torrent
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