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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as in to burn
to set (something) on fire
police suspect that the owner torched the house for the insurance money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torch
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
When the Dragon Bravo Fire torched the Grand Canyon’s North Rim in mid-July while the White Sage Fire spread further north, politicians immediately jumped to assign blame.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torch
Noun
As for the welding torch demonstration, a professional welding flame typically reaches around 1,500 °C, whereas most home and building fires burn between 600 °C and 800 °C (1,112 °F to 1,472 °F).
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
Former All-Pro Dallas corner Trevon Diggs’ play has fallen off a cliff this season, and the Cowboys have gotten torched for a league-leading 10 touchdowns on throws of 20-plus yards.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
When the Dragon Bravo Fire torched the Grand Canyon’s North Rim in mid-July while the White Sage Fire spread further north, politicians immediately jumped to assign blame.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torch
Noun
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After eight days of examining the scene, analysts found that the light source matched the sparks from a flint ignitor and the flame from a butane lighter.—
Harrington Gardiner,
CBS News,
17 Nov. 2025
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The ignitor came in the form of fellow defenseman Jake Middleton delivering a bone-crunching hit – legally – to Stars forward Matt Duchene in the neutral zone.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Walk out of a play’s shadows back into the clear light of day without a there to take with you, and even a burning cauldron will become little more than a brief candle.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Veg/cm/61 Fire has been burning on private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Last year, an arsonist tried to kill Shapiro by setting the governor's official residence on fire in the middle of the night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Jimmy Haslam chose this week to keep the arsonist and rid himself of the fireman who couldn’t put out the flames.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The room replicating the crash is dimly lit, which Knarr said is because there was no moonlight coming from the sky to illuminate the sea.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Nov. 2025
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Everything is dark around us, but the collision itself is a source of energy and the flash of it lights us up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
An arson fire destroys the 43-year-old Globe Theatre on March 8 (the arsonist was never caught, but a firebug had set several blazes in the park that winter).—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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After shooting Holmes several times, Taylor allegedly stepped away and then turned around and fired more shots into the victim, who was on the ground, according to the affidavit.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
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One team member crawled inside and fired paintballs filled with vegetable oil, wildlife organization BEAR League told Fox News Digital on Thursday.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The moment underscored how quickly a single corgi’s prediction could ignite the internet.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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The Visionary Award recognizes an individual who has uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of VFX to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This is only slightly challenged by a flame kindled between Mindy and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) earlier on in the show.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
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These seemingly innocuous actions can kindle dry grass, potentially triggering a wildfire.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torch. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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