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
Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026
When Raphael died, a hundred torches were carried by painters at his funeral, and he was buried in the rotunda of the Pantheon.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Savannah Louie sat on a log, surrounded by tiki torches and silent camera crew members, holding hands with her cast-mates, one on either side.
—thehustle.co, 17 Apr. 2026
Watch as men tromp about with flashlights, set up torches.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Using torches, particularly during fire season, may not be allowed.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026
There, Kurds gather to light flaming torches at sunset, carrying them up the mountainside to symbolize light defeating darkness.
—March 25, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
The festival concludes with a procession of thousands of people carrying torches and images of the Santo Niño.
—Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Mar. 2026
The men rushed him with the torches repeatedly but could not drive him farther than the edge of the thick brush.
—Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 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
After nightfall, a line of torches guided me to dinner along the beach.
—Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026
When Raphael died, a hundred torches were carried by painters at his funeral, and he was buried in the rotunda of the Pantheon.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Savannah Louie sat on a log, surrounded by tiki torches and silent camera crew members, holding hands with her cast-mates, one on either side.
—thehustle.co, 17 Apr. 2026
Watch as men tromp about with flashlights, set up torches.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Using torches, particularly during fire season, may not be allowed.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026
There, Kurds gather to light flaming torches at sunset, carrying them up the mountainside to symbolize light defeating darkness.
—March 25, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
The festival concludes with a procession of thousands of people carrying torches and images of the Santo Niño.
—Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Mar. 2026
The men rushed him with the torches repeatedly but could not drive him farther than the edge of the thick brush.
—Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 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
Verb
-
The bathroom is situated next to the kitchen and is notable for having an incinerating toilet – as its name implies, this burns waste to ash.—
Adam Williams
April 23,
New Atlas,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The facility is positioned as a potential model for decarbonizing aviation, which burns roughly 100 billion gallons of jet fuel per year globally.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Spate of attacks In March, arsonists set fire to four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity, also in Golders Green.—
Jomana Karadsheh,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
-
A little over six years after being targeted by arsonists during wide-ranging protests in Santiago, Chile, the Violeta Parra Museum has been reopened to the public, the Art Newspaper reports.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For some, a Day 3 NFL draft selection lights a competitive fuse, so to speak.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Long evenings stretch out, iced drinks sweat in your hand, and porch lights flicker on just as the air begins to hum with those all-too-familiar pests.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Since the city adopted the video release policy more than a decade ago, experience has repeatedly demonstrated the fallacy of limiting inquiry to the precise moment when a police officer fires their gun.—
Jamie Kalven,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Garcia is opening his car door at that very moment, and fires nine shots at Denis with his 9 mm Glock pistol as Denis speeds toward and past him.—
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While Martin Scorsese called it one of the scariest movies of all time, The Uninvited kindles a wonderful romance between Rick and Stella.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 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
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But when Tiffany gets pregnant with her first child and Carolyn simultaneously sells an essay to The New Yorker, mutual jealousy ignites.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The pilot light is a small flame that ignites the burner to heat the water in the tank.—
Katie Cloyd,
Martha Stewart,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tucson will also be at or near record temperatures through March 27 as the state’s unprecedented heat wave scorches on, the weather service said.—
Ray Stern,
AZCentral.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
As the world around them scorches under record heat, a family walks into the woods, asking what the future holds in this thermal dystopia.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torches. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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