parching

present participle of parch

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 parching Many of them, like Tubbs, were refugee Midwesterners, sick of parching droughts and devouring plagues of locusts, the insects descending in buzzing clouds thick enough to blacken the noonday sun. Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 Alegria also sees wild rice production growing using the traditional Indigenous methods of drying, parching, dancing and winnowing at rice camps in northern Wisconsin. Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 4 Dec. 2025 Drought and long, hot summer days are sucking Western Colorado’s rivers dry, parching farm fields and fueling the massive wildfires proliferating across the region. Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parching
drying
Verb
  • Determined to create a formula that wasn’t cakey, heavy, or drying, Brown infused her formula with hydrating ingredients.
    Jenny Berg, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The Audi pair almost had a similar problem when Gabriel Bortoleto spun on a greasy but drying track that also caught out and wrecked Verstappen on the opening lap.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Parching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parching. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster