Touch (Verb)
Meaning 1
Affect emotionally; "A stirring movie"; "I was touched by your kind letter of sympathy".
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- The charity worker was deeply touched by the generosity of the anonymous donor.
- Her heartfelt words touched the audience, bringing some to tears.
- The song's poignant lyrics really touched me, making me think of fond memories.
- The tribute to the late artist was a moving experience that touched everyone's hearts.
- The kind gesture from a stranger touched her soul, giving her renewed hope in humanity.
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Meaning 2
Make physical contact with, come in contact with; "Touch the stone for good luck"; "She never touched her husband".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The doctor will touch the patient's wrist to take their pulse.
- Be careful not to touch the sharp object.
- Touch the cat gently, so you don't scare it away.
- The kids are not allowed to touch the breakable vase.
- The couple's hands touched by accident as they walked down the aisle.
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Meaning 3
Cause to be in brief contact with; "He touched his toes to the horse's flanks".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- She touched the tip of her pen to the paper to sign her name.
- He touched his hand to the thermostat to feel its temperature.
- The child touched her nose to the cold windowpane to draw a smiley face.
- The doctor touched his stethoscope to the patient's chest to listen to their heartbeat.
- The sculptor touched her brush to the model's skin to highlight its texture.
Related Words
Meaning 4
Be in direct physical contact with; make contact; "The two buildings touch"; "Their hands touched"; "The wire must not contact the metal cover"; "The surfaces contact at this point".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The two buildings touch.
- Their hands touched as they walked by.
- When you connect the battery, make sure the wires touch.
- The two balls will touch if you move them closer together.
- The fingers of her right and left hand touch as she made the vow.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
- Chafe
- Rest On
- Edge
- Fret
- Butt Against
- Butt
- Lean Against
- Adhere
- Abut
- Cohere
- Border
- Adjoin
- Skirt
- Scratch
- Butt On
- Environ
- Spread Over
- Fray
- Stick
- March
- Ring
- Cleave
Related Words
Meaning 5
Make a more or less disguised reference to; "He alluded to the problem but did not mention it".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- She touched on the issue of the economy during her speech, but avoided discussing the details.
- The report touched briefly on potential environmental concerns without going into specifics.
- His comment touched on his personal experiences with loss, but was vague enough not to reveal too much.
- The letter touched on several key points that would be discussed during the meeting.
- The politician's speech made only a passing attempt to touch on the scandals surrounding her administration.
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Meaning 6
Comprehend; "He could not touch the meaning of the poem".
Classification
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting.
Examples
- She struggled to touch the depth of her emotions after the incident.
- He couldn't touch the complexity of the novel's underlying themes.
- They couldn't touch the irony behind his words, taking them at face value.
- The professor's explanation helped her touch the core idea of the difficult concept.
- The student couldn't touch the significance of the historical event despite hours of reading.
Meaning 7
Have an effect upon; "Will the new rules affect me?".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The company's decision to downsize will certainly touch the jobs of many employees in the factory.
- Her promotion will touch every aspect of her career and relationships with colleagues.
- The government's new policies will touch the lives of thousands of families in need of assistance.
- His retirement will touch the company in many ways, including the distribution of responsibilities among remaining staff.
- The economic downturn will touch nearly every business, with smaller companies likely to be most affected.
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Meaning 8
Color lightly; "her greying hair was tinged blond"; "the leaves were tinged red in November".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The faint colors of the painting seemed to touch the subject's cheeks with a gentle, warm glow.
- Her brown eyes touch with flecks of gold that sparkle when she laughs.
- The sunset sky had hues that touch with shades of pink.
- The once vibrant flowers now touch with shades of wilted brown as autumn sets in.
- Her new shoes touch with a faint sheen of blue from last night's art project mishap.
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Meaning 9
Perceive via the tactile sense; "Helen Keller felt the physical world by touching people and objects around her".
Classification
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.
Examples
- She loved to touch the soft petals of the flower to fully appreciate its delicate beauty.
- The baby learned to identify objects by touch as her surroundings became increasingly familiar.
- He hesitated to touch the hot stove, knowing the risk of getting burned.
- By touch, the blind person navigated the room with ease, avoiding any obstacles in her path.
- The artist encouraged her students to touch the various textures to understand the unique properties of each material.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 10
Deal with; usually used with a form of negation; "I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole"; "The local Mafia won't touch gambling".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The new police chief wouldn't touch the local politician's nephew with a ten-foot pole.
- She's so fussy about her food, she won't touch anything that's been in the fridge for more than a day.
- I wouldn't touch that repair job with a ten-foot pole if I were you, it sounds like way more trouble than it's worth.
- The union avoids endorsing politicians who won't touch labor reform.
- No reputable scientist will touch that research with a ten-foot pole, the methodology is fundamentally flawed.
Hypernyms
Meaning 11
Consume; "She didn't touch her food all night".
Classification
Verbs of eating and drinking.
Examples
- He didn't touch his coffee after adding too much sugar to it.
- They've been arguing and she hasn't touched her breakfast all morning.
- I hadn't eaten all day, but after smelling the food I couldn't touch anything.
- She prepared a meal for her son, but he wouldn't touch it.
- The patient was in so much pain that she couldn't touch her drink.
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Meaning 12
Be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments".
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- Her emotional speech really touched on the current issues surrounding social justice.
- That conversation still touches on a sensitive topic for him.
- Their thoughts and opinions didn't touch on the topic we were discussing.
- When writing the report, be sure to touch on the financial analysis section.
- The meeting mainly touches on possible solutions and new ideas.
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Meaning 13
Tamper with; "Don't touch my CDs!".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- Keep your hands off, don't even think about touching the security system.
- If you touch that dial again, you'll ruin the entire experiment.
- Don't touch the controls, you don't know how to operate this equipment.
- She asked her roommate not to touch her personal belongings without permission.
- Don't touch the documents, they're classified and highly confidential.
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Meaning 14
Be equal to in quality or ability; "Nothing can rival cotton for durability"; "Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues"; "Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents".
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- The new smartphone's camera can't even touch that of the latest model from the competitor.
- Her cooking skills hardly touch those of her famous chef mother.
- His artistic abilities don't touch the genius of the renowned painter.
- The new employee's work quality doesn't even touch that of the experienced staff members.
- The student's grades barely touch those of the top achievers in her class.
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Meaning 15
To extend as far as; "The sunlight reached the wall"; "Can he reach?"; "The chair must not touch the wall".
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- The edge of her skirt just touch the floor as she walked.
- Please ensure the bookshelf doesn't touch the ceiling molding.
- Her foot can't touch the ground when she sits on that stool.
- The branches of the two trees almost touch at their highest point.
- The ladder must not touch any power lines for safety.