What does torch mean?
Definitions for torch
tɔrtʃtorch
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word torch.
Princeton's WordNet
torchnoun
a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
common mullein, great mullein, Aaron's rod, flannel mullein, woolly mullein, torch, Verbascum thapsusnoun
tall-stalked very woolly mullein with densely packed yellow flowers; ancient Greeks and Romans dipped the stalks in tallow for funeral torches
flashlight, torchnoun
a small portable battery-powered electric lamp
blowtorch, torch, blowlampverb
a burner that mixes air and gas to produce a very hot flame
torchverb
burn maliciously, as by arson
"The madman torched the barns"
Wiktionary
torchnoun
A stick with a flame on one end used as a light source.
The mob of angry villagers carried torches and pitchforks to the vampire's castle.
torchnoun
A portable source of electric light.
Ernst slipped and dropped his torch on the flagstones, shattering the bulb and plunging us into darkness.
torchverb
To set fire to, especially using a torch (1) above.
Some hoodlums had torched a derelict automobile, which emitted a ghastly pall of thick, black smoke that filled the street.
Etymology: From torche, ultimately from torqueo.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Torchnoun
A wax light generally supposed to be bigger than a candle.
Etymology: torche, French; torcia, Italian; intortitium, low Latin.
Basilius knew, by the wasting of the torches, that the night also was far wasted. Philip Sidney.
Here lies the dusky torch of Mortimer,
Choak’d with ambition of the meaner sort. William Shakespeare.They light the nuptial torch, and bid invoke
Hymen. John Milton.Never was known a night of such distraction;
Noise so confus’d and dreadful: torches gliding
Like meteors, by each other in the streets. Dryden.I’m weary of my part;
My torch is out; and the world stands before me
Like a black desart at th’ approach of night. Dryden.
Wikipedia
Torch
A torch is a stick with combustible material at one end, which is ignited and used as a light source. Torches have been used throughout history, and are still used in processions, symbolic and religious events, and in juggling entertainment. In some countries "torch" in modern usage is the term for a battery-operated portable light.
ChatGPT
torch
A torch is a portable device that generates light, typically through combustion or electricity. It may refer to a stick with a flame at one end, traditionally used for illumination or as a signal during the night, or to a battery-powered device also known as flashlight, used to provide light in dark areas.
Webster Dictionary
Torchnoun
a light or luminary formed of some combustible substance, as of resinous wood; a large candle or flambeau, or a lamp giving a large, flaring flame
Torchnoun
a flashlight
Wikidata
Torch
A torch is a fire source, usually a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag soaked in pitch and/or some other flammable material wrapped around one end. Torches were often supported in sconces by brackets high up on walls, to throw light over corridors in stone structures such as castles or crypts. This traditional use of the word lives on in the Olympic Torch, procession torches and the like. A torch carried in relay by cross-country runners is used to light the Olympic flame which burns without interruption until the end of the Games. These torches and relay tradition were introduced in 1936 Summer Olympics by Carl Diem, the chairman of the event because during the duration of the Ancient Olympic Games in Olympia, a sacred flame burns inside of the temple of Hera, kept in custody by her priestess. If a torch is made of sulfur mixed with lime, the fire will not diminish after being plunged into water. Such torches were used by the ancient Romans. Procession torches are made from coarse hessian rolled into a tube and soaked in wax. There is usually a wooden handle and a cardboard collar to deflect any wax droplets. They are an easy, safe and relatively cheap way to hold a flame aloft in a parade, or to provide illumination in any after-dark celebration.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Torch
torch, n. a light formed of twisted tow dipped in pitch or other inflammable material: a large candle or flambeau.—ns. Torch′-bear′er; Torch′-dance; Torch′er (Shak.), one who gives light with, or as with, a torch; Torch′ing, a way of catching fish at night with torch-light-and spear; Torch′-light; Torch′-race.—n.pl. Torch′-staves (Shak.), staves for carrying torches. [Fr. torche—L. tortum, pa.p. of torquēre, to twist.]
Suggested Resources
torch
Song lyrics by torch -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by torch on the Lyrics.com website.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
TORCH
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Torch is ranked #84463 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Torch surname appeared 222 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Torch.
92.7% or 206 total occurrences were White.
4.5% or 10 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'torch' in Nouns Frequency: #2741
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- [["1564","4"],["1574","1"],["1582","1"],["1587","2"],["1592","1"],["1593","1"],["1598","2"],["1620","2"],["1634","6"],["1645","1"],["1649","2"],["1656","3"],["1657","1"],["1658","5"],["1660","1"],["1664","1"],["1671","2"],["1677","1"],["1678","1"],["1681","1"],["1685","4"],["1686","2"],["1687","1"],["1688","1"],["1691","1"],["1692","1"],["1700","4"],["1701","3"],["1703","1"],["1704","2"],["1705","1"],["1708","1"],["1710","1"],["1713","2"],["1716","1"],["1717","7"],["1719","2"],["1720","1"],["1721","5"],["1722","1"],["1723","23"],["1724","2"],["1725","1"],["1726","2"],["1727","6"],["1728","1"],["1729","6"],["1730","12"],["1731","22"],["1732","3"],["1733","2"],["1734","5"],["1736","3"],["1738","2"],["1739","1"],["1740","7"],["1741","3"],["1742","11"],["1743","15"],["1744","24"],["1745","10"],["1746","2"],["1747","7"],["1748","25"],["1749","6"],["1750","18"],["1751","15"],["1752","39"],["1753","24"],["1754","23"],["1755","17"],["1756","18"],["1757","11"],["1758","72"],["1759","53"],["1760","41"],["1761","51"],["1762","16"],["1763","29"],["1764","30"],["1765","50"],["1766","65"],["1767","28"],["1768","59"],["1769","44"],["1770","70"],["1771","44"],["1772","67"],["1773","36"],["1774","46"],["1775","29"],["1776","45"],["1777","42"],["1778","28"],["1779","42"],["1780","64"],["1781","49"],["1782","50"],["1783","42"],["1784","35"],["1785","101"],["1786","39"],["1787","121"],["1788","81"],["1789","81"],["1790","110"],["1791","110"],["1792","141"],["1793","142"],["1794","185"],["1795","209"],["1796","167"],["1797","253"],["1798","150"],["1799","322"],["1800","244"],["1801","297"],["1802","271"],["1803","415"],["1804","377"],["1805","346"],["1806","475"],["1807","546"],["1808","514"],["1809","515"],["1810","468"],["1811","709"],["1812","522"],["1813","472"],["1814","537"],["1815","538"],["1816","533"],["1817","835"],["1818","643"],["1819","652"],["1820","956"],["1821","793"],["1822","1096"],["1823","1126"],["1824","1095"],["1825","1550"],["1826","1031"],["1827","1124"],["1828","1221"],["1829","930"],["1830","1121"],["1831","1275"],["1832","1352"],["1833","1463"],["1834","1460"],["1835","1624"],["1836","1566"],["1837","1108"],["1838","1447"],["1839","1605"],["1840","1373"],["1841","1693"],["1842","1347"],["1843","1537"],["1844","1747"],["1845","1700"],["1846","1894"],["1847","1981"],["1848","2008"],["1849","2049"],["1850","2184"],["1851","2149"],["1852","2288"],["1853","2747"],["1854","2682"],["1855","2486"],["1856","2886"],["1857","2235"],["1858","1947"],["1859","2343"],["1860","2756"],["1861","1694"],["1862","1402"],["1863","1651"],["1864","1992"],["1865","2048"],["1866","2182"],["1867","2050"],["1868","2096"],["1869","2273"],["1870","1861"],["1871","2234"],["1872","2435"],["1873","2082"],["1874","2501"],["1875","2260"],["1876","2493"],["1877","2550"],["1878","2197"],["1879","2324"],["1880","3093"],["1881","3088"],["1882","3092"],["1883","3794"],["1884","2941"],["1885","3168"],["1886","2552"],["1887","3324"],["1888","3446"],["1889","3133"],["1890","3270"],["1891","3207"],["1892","3639"],["1893","3533"],["1894","4281"],["1895","4462"],["1896","4419"],["1897","4419"],["1898","5249"],["1899","5395"],["1900","6278"],["1901","5532"],["1902","5558"],["1903","4729"],["1904","5590"],["1905","4987"],["1906","5402"],["1907","6108"],["1908","4873"],["1909","5263"],["1910","6058"],["1911","5332"],["1912","5591"],["1913","4939"],["1914","5363"],["1915","4783"],["1916","5469"],["1917","5364"],["1918","4571"],["1919","6387"],["1920","6270"],["1921","6366"],["1922","5977"],["1923","5021"],["1924","4730"],["1925","4773"],["1926","4700"],["1927","5217"],["1928","5091"],["1929","5519"],["1930","5533"],["1931","5809"],["1932","4695"],["1933","3915"],["1934","4428"],["1935","5504"],["1936","5541"],["1937","5397"],["1938","6417"],["1939","6245"],["1940","5416"],["1941","6264"],["1942","6283"],["1943","5593"],["1944","5519"],["1945","3786"],["1946","5948"],["1947","6584"],["1948","6184"],["1949","8619"],["1950","6512"],["1951","7687"],["1952","6171"],["1953","6354"],["1954","7602"],["1955","6985"],["1956","7443"],["1957","7501"],["1958","7092"],["1959","6949"],["1960","8318"],["1961","8970"],["1962","8960"],["1963","9649"],["1964","9807"],["1965","10230"],["1966","10582"],["1967","11504"],["1968","13536"],["1969","13269"],["1970","12524"],["1971","12903"],["1972","12234"],["1973","11536"],["1974","12483"],["1975","11000"],["1976","14304"],["1977","13001"],["1978","12518"],["1979","13366"],["1980","14497"],["1981","13016"],["1982","13999"],["1983","15381"],["1984","16273"],["1985","16409"],["1986","16615"],["1987","19049"],["1988","17358"],["1989","20063"],["1990","20293"],["1991","20075"],["1992","23604"],["1993","20854"],["1994","22131"],["1995","23571"],["1996","24296"],["1997","25689"],["1998","26000"],["1999","28789"],["2000","35480"],["2001","34812"],["2002","38691"],["2003","45683"],["2004","51223"],["2005","49571"],["2006","54659"],["2007","62763"],["2008","87845"]]
Anagrams for torch »
rotch
chort
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of torch in Chaldean Numerology is: 3
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of torch in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
Examples of torch in a Sentence
This fight has taken so long that talking about it, waiting for it, has so consumed the fans and the media that I am just happy that they are getting it over with, there are a lot of good younger fighters out there who are ready to step up and become the stars and it's hard to do that when you got two people who are still there, lingering and not willing to pass the torch.
The very deep feeling that you are part of something bigger than yourself, that (you’re) allowed to sacrifice anything that is needed, whether it’s your career, health, seriously mental health, we all have a mission, you’re willing to do it at any cost. You’re very determined, you know that you are on the right side, you’re carrying the torch of light. That keeps us being highly motivated despite the fact that we’re not sleeping for days.
Deputy Beijing Mayor Zhang Jiandong:
We insist on prioritizing public health and safety, and coordinate the torch relay with pandemic control and prevention requirements.
There is always a new generation for the passing of the torch, 'Star Wars,' as a movie, could be an individual experience. But it has become a shared experience surrounded by a community aspect.
That's when all the pain came in. It felt like a blow torch was burning through my leg, august 8, 2012, was not a bad day; it was the worst day of my life.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for torch
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- مِشْعَلArabic
- torxa, llanternaCatalan, Valencian
- baterka, pochodeňCzech
- tors, fflachlampWelsh
- fakkelDanish
- Taschenlampe, Fackel, anzündenGerman
- φακός, πυρπολώ, δαυλός, πυρσόςGreek
- torĉoEsperanto
- linterna, antorcha, lámparaSpanish
- مشعلPersian
- soihtu, polttaa, sytyttää tuleen, taskulamppuFinnish
- torche, incendier, lampe de pocheFrench
- אבוקהHebrew
- टार्च, मशालHindi
- felgyújt, fáklya, zseblámpa, elemlámpaHungarian
- ջահ, լապտերArmenian
- oborIndonesian
- kyndillIcelandic
- fiaccola, torcia, incendiareItalian
- 懐中電燈, 松明, トーチJapanese
- ჩირაღდანი, ელექტრო ფარანიGeorgian
- ចន្លុះKhmer
- 횃불, 등불Korean
- fax, taeda, lanternaLatin
- FakelLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- ໄຟສາຍLao
- deglasLithuanian
- lāpaLatvian
- ngāpara, tōroherohe, kāparaMāori
- гар чийдэн, бамбарMongolian
- obor, lampu picit, jamungMalay
- fakkel, lommelyktNorwegian
- toorts, fakkel, zaklampDutch
- fakkelNorwegian Nynorsk
- pochodnia, latarkaPolish
- tocha, lanternaPortuguese
- torță, lanternă, făclie, fachieRomanian
- фонарь, факел, фонарикRussian
- буктиња, bȁklja, ба̏кља, buktinjaSerbo-Croatian
- fakľaSlovak
- baklaSlovene
- fackla, sätta eld på, bloss, ficklampa, tända eld påSwedish
- kurunzi, tochiSwahili
- คบเพลิงThai
- meşale, el feneriTurkish
- факелUkrainian
- đuốcVietnamese
- pokalampadVolapük
- 火炬Chinese
Get even more translations for torch »
Translation
Find a translation for the torch definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"torch." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 10 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/torch>.
Discuss these torch definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In