as in burning
to set (something) on fire
police suspect that the owner torched the house for the insurance money
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Recent Examples of torching
Boise State football got the train back on the tracks last Friday night, torching Eastern Washington 51-14 in the Broncos’ home opener to get to 1-1 on the season.
—
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Sep. 2025
Or Justin Herbert torching a Steve Spagnuolo defense for 318 yards and three passing touchdowns?
—Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Another of Colorado’s newest wildfires, the Derby fire, tripled in size overnight Tuesday and tripled again Wednesday, torching more than 2,600 acres and destroying at least one building.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 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
Antifa militants frequently firebomb government facilities, torching courthouses and setting police precincts on fire, as seen in the summer of 2020.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
The blazes tore across working class communities and ritzy cliffside mansions, torching thousands of homes.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
With those strict rules, several hard-line conservatives in the House are torching the parliamentarian’s decision, arguing that MacDonough does not have the authority to dictate the party’s policy decisions.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 26 June 2025
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Sep. 2025
Or Justin Herbert torching a Steve Spagnuolo defense for 318 yards and three passing touchdowns?
—Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Another of Colorado’s newest wildfires, the Derby fire, tripled in size overnight Tuesday and tripled again Wednesday, torching more than 2,600 acres and destroying at least one building.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 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
Antifa militants frequently firebomb government facilities, torching courthouses and setting police precincts on fire, as seen in the summer of 2020.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
The blazes tore across working class communities and ritzy cliffside mansions, torching thousands of homes.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
With those strict rules, several hard-line conservatives in the House are torching the parliamentarian’s decision, arguing that MacDonough does not have the authority to dictate the party’s policy decisions.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 26 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torching
Verb
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These bones are covered by thinner layers of muscle and fat and would have been more prone to burning if a body were placed over a fire.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
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Farad Fire has been burning on private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Freeland took exception to Rafael Devers’ admiration of his first-inning home run, igniting the benches-clearing episode.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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Hamas killed about 1,200 people in its attack on southern Israel and captured another 251 as hostages, igniting the ongoing Gaza war.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torching. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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