torch 1 of 2

as in igniter
a person who deliberately and unlawfully sets fire to a building or other property several suspicious fires in the past few months have probably been set by the same torch

Synonyms & Similar Words

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torch

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of torch
Noun
With the Bosch: Legacy finale setting up the spinoff show Ballard, Welliver opens up about passing the torch to Maggie Q — and what comes next. Oliver Gettell, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Ephemera from his successful 1860 run for the White House includes an American flag bearing the names of Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin, his first vice president, as well as a tin campaign torch carried by his supporters. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
Indeed, Bieber has been torching his past in ways that aren’t just metaphorical. Shirley Halperin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025 Now Trump is prepared to torch the entire economy in the hopes of getting American companies to create more manufacturing jobs here. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for torch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torch
Verb
  • The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.
    Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
    Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Verb
  • The poor performance led one Lakers legend to try and light a fire underneath his former squad.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Bring to light what’s at conflicting purposes while the sun clashes with Mars.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In video released by police, the firebug could be seen setting fire to a small pile of trash next to the head of a sleeping passenger stretched out on the seat.
    Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2025
  • Two men have been charged with felony arson in Los Angeles in unrelated cases as authorities combat firebugs, looters and multiple raging blazes in Southern California.
    Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Rubio’s firing of Marocco ignites a MAGA world meltdown 🚔️ IN FLORIDA This is horrible: A gunman opened fire at Florida State University in Tallahassee on Thursday, leaving at least two people dead and several others injured.
    Cate Martel, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Investigators believe the Palisades fire ignited around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 near a popular hiking trail just southeast of Palisades Drive.
    Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Remembering Molly Elliott, killed by Louisiana Death Row inmate Their killer is facing execution by firing squad.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Voters want economic stability, and firing Powell would only create more instability.
    The Editors, National Review, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • That leadership isn't just about putting out fires, but about kindling something deeper.
    Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Comic Cole Garrett was first up, his manic style scorching the walls.
    R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • The park’s Furnace Creek area is particularly scorching.
    Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Torch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torch. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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