1
to come into bodily contact with (something) so as to perceive a slight pressure on the skin
- be careful not to touch this pan—it's still hot
- caress,
- embrace,
- finger,
- fondle,
- hug,
- kiss,
- lip,
- nose,
- nudge,
- nuzzle,
- paw,
- rub,
- stroke
2
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response
- your speech on the true meaning of patriotism touched me deeply
- afflict,
- agitate,
- bother,
- concern,
- discomfort,
- discompose,
- disquiet,
- distress,
- disturb,
- fluster,
- harass,
- harry,
- perturb,
- pester,
- plague,
- smite,
- strain,
- stress,
- trouble,
- try,
- upset,
- worry,
- wring
3
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
- unfortunately, his insufferable arrogance tends to touch even the good deeds that he does
- begrime,
- besmear,
- besmirch,
- blacken,
- blur,
- cloud,
- dirty,
- discolor,
- pollute,
- smear,
- smirch,
- smudge,
- smut,
- soil,
- sully,
- tar
- abase,
- cheapen,
- debase,
- degrade,
- demean,
- discredit,
- disgrace,
- dishonor,
- foul,
- lower,
- shame,
- sink
4
to be adjacent to
- our property touches theirs right where that big elm tree is
- abut,
- adjoin,
- border (on),
- butt (on or against),
- flank,
- fringe,
- join,
- march (with),
- neighbor,
- skirt,
- verge (on)
5
to be the business or affair of
- I don't think this decision touches you, so butt out
1
the state or fact of being able to exchange information regarding one's current situation
- everyone promised to keep in touch over the summer
2
a very small amount
- added just a touch of parsley to the dish
- ace,
- bit,
- crumb,
- dab,
- dram,
- driblet,
- glimmer,
- hint,
- lick,
- little,
- mite,
- nip,
- ounce,
- particle,
- peanuts,
- ray,
- scintilla,
- scruple,
- shade,
- shadow,
- shred,
- skosh,
- smack,
- smell,
- smidgen
- (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge),
- snap,
- soupçon,
- spark,
- spatter,
- speck,
- splash,
- spot,
- sprinkling,
- strain,
- streak,
- suspicion,
- tad,
- trace
- hoot,
- iota,
- jot,
- minim,
- minimum,
- modicum,
- semblance,
- syllable,
- tittle,
- vestige,
- whit
- atom,
- dot,
- fleck,
- flyspeck,
- grain,
- granule,
- molecule,
- morsel,
- mote,
- nubbin,
- patch,
- scrap
- abundance,
- barrel,
- boatload,
- bucket,
- bundle,
- bushel,
- deal,
- fistful,
- gobs,
- heaps,
- lashings
- (also lashins)
-
[chiefly British],
- loads,
- lot,
- mass,
- mess,
- mountain,
- much,
- oodles,
- passel,
- peck,
- pile,
- plenty,
- potful,
- profusion,
- quantity,
- raft,
- reams,
- scads,
- stack,
- wad,
- wealth
- bonanza,
- embarrassment,
- excess,
- overabundance,
- overage,
- overflow,
- overkill,
- overmuch,
- oversupply,
- superabundance,
- superfluity,
- surfeit,
- surplus
3
something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind
- each designer has his or her own personal touches
- affection,
- attribute,
- attribution,
- character,
- characteristic,
- criterion,
- diagnostic,
- differentia,
- feature,
- fingerprint,
- hallmark,
- mark,
- marker,
- note,
- particularity,
- peculiarity,
- point,
- property,
- quality,
- specific,
- stamp,
- trait
4
an almost imperceptible sign of something
- a touch of irritation tinged his voice as the candidate fielded yet another question about his personal finances
Frequently Asked Questions About touch
How does the verb touch differ from other similar words?
Some common synonyms of touch are affect, impress, influence, strike, and sway. While all these words mean "to produce or have an effect upon," touch may carry a vivid suggestion of close contact and may connote stirring, arousing, or harming.
plants touched by frost
his emotions were touched by her distress
When can affect be used instead of touch?
The words affect and touch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, affect implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction.
the sight affected her to tears
Where would impress be a reasonable alternative to touch?
The meanings of impress and touch largely overlap; however, impress stresses the depth and persistence of the effect.
only one of the plans impressed him
When could influence be used to replace touch?
The synonyms influence and touch are sometimes interchangeable, but influence implies a force that brings about a change (as in nature or behavior).
our beliefs are influenced by our upbringing
When is strike a more appropriate choice than touch?
While in some cases nearly identical to touch, strike, similar to but weaker than impress, may convey the notion of sudden sharp perception or appreciation.
struck by the solemnity of the occasion
When is it sensible to use sway instead of touch?
Although the words sway and touch have much in common, sway implies the acting of influences that are not resisted or are irresistible, with resulting change in character or course of action.
politicians who are swayed by popular opinion
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Time Traveler for touch
The first known use of touch was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century