scorching 1 of 2

scorching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of scorch

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 scorching
Adjective
That water vapor, a potent greenhouse gas, would have pushed the world into a scorching-hot greenhouse state not long after its birth. Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025 And in a scorching June 22 piece on generative AI, Oliver continually brought the argument back to a fundamental but often overlooked human issue with the industry. Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025 Behold, as the seasons change and the scorching summer sun gives way to autumn leaves, another slate of restaurants is expected to open before year’s end. Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025 There was a homer binge and a scorching hot streak. Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025 In the heat of the day, desert-dwelling snakes will retreat into shade or rodent burrows to shield themselves from the scorching sun. John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025 As a result, millions of Americans are sweating through heatwaves and opening electricity bills that feel just as scorching. Anisha Steephen, Time, 26 Aug. 2025 Energy levels among the lions were low in the scorching midday sun. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025 Down one against the inferior Dallas Wings — though one with a scorching-hot Paige Bueckers — in a game the Sparks had to have to keep their playoff hopes alive, that’s what Plum did. Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
The resulting scorching ash cloud reached as high as 16 miles into the atmosphere, darkening the sky and causing homes and businesses as far as 300 miles away to close. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025 A’ja Wilson, incumbent MVP and leader of scorching Las Vegas, seeks the award for the fourth time in her career. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025 The scorching-hot Gonzalez exited with knee soreness, the Red Sox announced. Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 10 Sep. 2025 This is a big deal as the new process requires no crushing pressure or scorching heat. Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025 These trees know how to withstand hardships—including scorching Southern summers—and require little to no maintenance once they are established. Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025 The temperature on the field was scorching, yet Ryan started off cold. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025 Herdade de Rio Frio’s cork oaks, which are native to Portugal and can resist frequent droughts and scorching summer temperatures, were planted more than a century ago. Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025 Historic data According to NIFC records for 2024, lightning ignited 305 fires in California, scorching 90,206 acres of wildland. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scorching
Adjective
  • Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.
    Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • One idea is that about a million years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled and underwent a phase transition, an event similar to how boiling water turns liquid into gas.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, Scientific American, 3 Mar. 2020
Verb
  • The fire burned for 26 days, charring 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.
    Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2025
  • What To Know In a Sunday update, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team said the two fires have burned more than 121,307 acres, with the Elk fire charring 14,635 acres and the Lee fire scorching 106,672 acres.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The study frames smoke-drying as a deliberate and technically demanding mortuary innovation among tropical hunter-gatherers.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Considering line drying or air drying isn’t always the most practical or convenient method, Stein suggests tumble drying your sheets on low heat.
    Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • High-Heat-Safe Alternatives While enameled cast-iron cookware is excellent to use for braising, roasting, baking, or gentle stovetop cooking, certain high heat applications like searing steak or blackening fish are best done in other types of pans, like traditional cast iron or stainless steel.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
  • After all, Miami seemingly has stamina to withstand searing heat after practicing in it all summer, while the opponent typically comes to town ill-prepared for the oppressive temperatures and humidity.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • With the debates coming later this month, the campaign water is set to get hotter.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Significantly diseased leaves should be raked and removed from the area and disposed of properly, such as by burying, burning where allowed, or hot composting, according to UW-Madison.
    Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?
    Victoria Edel, People.com, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • This cake is best slightly underbaked so the center is molten like a lava cake.
    The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
  • To bring sand to its molten state, the furnace must be heated to over 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Celisus) for as long as 50 hours, which requires burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, releasing greenhouse gases.
    Aki Ishida, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scorching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scorching. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on scorching

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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