as in igniters
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 burns
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 torches
Cori Sears, The Spruce, 13 June 2026
The conflict that ensues is startling in the intensity of its violence, as bodies brawl and break in the mud, flaming torches are taken to the face, and red-hot blades are seared into flesh.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 June 2026
Though not as common as candles or torches, mosquito coils are another effective way to keep bugs at bay.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 9 June 2026
Bill Maher torches embattled Maine candidate over tattoo, texting and abuse claims.
—FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
On the ground, part of the team used the traditional technique of igniting fires with drip torches or dry palm leaves.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
In 1971, the Jewish residents of Forest Hills violently protested the development of a public-housing project in their neighborhood with rocks and flaming torches.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Deputies reported finding several butane torches and drug paraphernalia in his possession.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
At night, torches are lit along the deck, and guests dine above the water.
—Rachel Dube, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Hopper cut off a Demogorgon’s head, and Murray torches quite a few.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
Noun
Citronella candles, torches, and sprays are all made with the oil derived from citronella grass—which are different than scented geraniums.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 13 June 2026
The conflict that ensues is startling in the intensity of its violence, as bodies brawl and break in the mud, flaming torches are taken to the face, and red-hot blades are seared into flesh.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 June 2026
Though not as common as candles or torches, mosquito coils are another effective way to keep bugs at bay.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 9 June 2026
Bill Maher torches embattled Maine candidate over tattoo, texting and abuse claims.
—FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
On the ground, part of the team used the traditional technique of igniting fires with drip torches or dry palm leaves.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
In 1971, the Jewish residents of Forest Hills violently protested the development of a public-housing project in their neighborhood with rocks and flaming torches.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Deputies reported finding several butane torches and drug paraphernalia in his possession.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
At night, torches are lit along the deck, and guests dine above the water.
—Rachel Dube, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Verb
Continue reading … BENCH WARRED — Blanche torches Trump foe Boasberg after appeals court blocks judge again in deportation fight.
—FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Hopper cut off a Demogorgon’s head, and Murray torches quite a few.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torches
Noun
-
Indeed, Knight says the Guinness family claims that the Guinness brewery feared attacks by Fenians and arsonists before Benjamin Guinness’s death.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Ansfield brings this expansive vision to the Bronx, following the trail from the arsonists who did the torching to the landlords who ordered it, the policymakers who enabled it, the financiers who encouraged it, and the insurers who paid for it.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra burns following a Russian strike overnight.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
-
At the same time, your body burns fewer calories at rest.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Created by bestselling author and screenwriter Dennis Lehane (Black Bird, Mystic River), the show sets an arson investigator, a troubled detective and two elusive firebugs on a collision course with their pasts—and themselves.—
Janee Bolden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
By late afternoon, people tend to drift toward a neighbor’s backyard, someone lights the barbecue, and kids sort themselves into games of backyard cricket.—
Alli Forde,
Travel + Leisure,
8 June 2026
-
Turn the pool lights off at night.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Many framed the arson wave as an extension of the riots of the Sixties, alleging that black incendiaries had burned their own homes to collect welfare or to exorcise some pathology.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
Verb
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Tshabalala’s thunderous strike sends the ball rocketing into the top right corner of Óscar Pérez’s net and fires the tournament hosts ahead, as the blaring drone of vuvuzelas is – somehow – drowned out by a roar heard across the country.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
The acceleration fires the propellant into space as a spray (hence the name).—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
But isolation also kindles the imagination, and my imagination was always ready to supply explanations for distant, unknowable things.—
The Dial,
The Dial,
2 Dec. 2025
-
The star of Big Little Lies confessed her new film, Caught Stealing, kindles a powerful yearning for some aspects of the era.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The conversation then ignites a back-and-fourth with several of the women.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
-
This is quintessential Alberta—a place where Indigenous traditions breathe life into the land, where artistry ignites the soul, and where prehistoric treasures foster unwavering connections.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torches. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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