Synonyms of scorch

scorch

verb

ˈskȯrch 

1

as in to char

to burn on the surface

the picnickers kept scorching their marshmallows, deliberately sticking their skewers into the licking flames of the campfire

Synonyms & Similar Words

• char
• singe
• bake
• sear
• light
• ignite
• fire
• incinerate
• inflame
• kindle
• scald
• cremate
• scathe

2

as in to dry

to make dry

weeks of drought had badly scorched the soil

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dry
• parch
• bake
• sear
• desiccate
• dehydrate
• drain
• evaporate
• shrivel
• dehumidify
• wither
• air-dry
• mummify
• wizen

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wash
• wet
• water
• saturate
• flood
• drown
• soak
• bathe
• hydrate
• douse
• inundate
• drench
• overflow
• damp
• dampen
• moisten
• waterlog
• deluge
• sop
• submerge
• dip
• swamp
• souse
• humidify
• rehydrate
• dunk

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scorch

The fire pit burns real wood—no propane needed—and does so without scorching the ground or creating a cloud of smoke. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 3 Sep. 2026

During the 2016 Chimney Fire, which scorched more than 46,000 acres in the Santa Lucia Range, one of the family’s favorite manzanita trees burned black. — Kathryn O’Shea-Evans, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2026

Dangerous heat that has scorched the Southwest for days is now spreading to the nation's midsection. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Another fire scorched an apartment building in Kansas City’s vacant Olive Park Village Apartments complex Friday morning, marking the second blaze firefighters put out there in less than a week. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026