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touch - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'touch' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Touch [ a.]
- To lay a hand upon for curing disease.
2 . Touch [ n.]
- That part of the field which is beyond the line of flags on either side.
- A boys' game; tag.
3 . Touch [ v.]
- The act of touching, or the state of being touched; contact.
- The sense by which pressure or traction exerted on the skin is recognized; the sense by which the properties of bodies are determined by contact; the tactile sense. See Tactile sense, under Tactile.
- Act or power of exciting emotion.
- An emotion or affection.
- Personal reference or application.
- A stroke; as, a touch of raillery; a satiric touch; hence, animadversion; censure; reproof.
- A single stroke on a drawing or a picture.
- Feature; lineament; trait.
- The act of the hand on a musical instrument; bence, in the plural, musical notes.
- A small quantity intermixed; a little; a dash.
- A hint; a suggestion; slight notice.
- A slight and brief essay.
- A touchstone; hence, stone of the sort used for touchstone.
- Hence, examination or trial by some decisive standard; test; proof; tried quality.
- The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers; as, a heavy touch, or a light touch; also, the manner of touching, striking, or pressing the keys of a piano; as, a legato touch; a staccato touch.
- The broadest part of a plank worked top and but (see Top and but, under Top, n.), or of one worked anchor-stock fashion (that is, tapered from the middle to both ends); also, the angles of the stern timbers at the counters.
4 . Touch [ v. i.]
- To be in contact; to be in a state of junction, so that no space is between; as, two spheres touch only at points.
- To fasten; to take effect; to make impression.
- To treat anything in discourse, especially in a slight or casual manner; -- often with on or upon.
- To be brought, as a sail, so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.
5 . Touch [ v. t.]
- To come in contact with; to hit or strike lightly against; to extend the hand, foot, or the like, so as to reach or rest on.
- To perceive by the sense of feeling.
- To come to; to reach; to attain to.
- To try; to prove, as with a touchstone.
- To relate to; to concern; to affect.
- To handle, speak of, or deal with; to treat of.
- To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the books.
- To affect the senses or the sensibility of; to move; to melt; to soften.
- To mark or delineate with touches; to add a slight stroke to with the pencil or brush.
- To infect; to affect slightly.
- To make an impression on; to have effect upon.
- To strike; to manipulate; to play on; as, to touch an instrument of music.
- To perform, as a tune; to play.
- To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly.
- To harm, afflict, or distress.
- To affect with insanity, especially in a slight degree; to make partially insane; -- rarely used except in the past participle.
- To be tangent to. See Tangent, a.

Meaning of 'touch' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . touch [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the act of putting two things together with no space between them
Example in sentence:
  • at his touch the room filled with lights
Meaning (2):
- a suggestion of some quality
Example in sentence:
  • he detected a ghost of a smile on her face;
  • there was a touch of sarcasm in his tone
Meaning (3):
- a communicative interaction
Example in sentence:
  • he got in touch with his colleagues;
  • the pilot made contact with the base
Meaning (4):
- deftness in handling matters
Example in sentence:
  • he has a master's touch
Meaning (5):
- a slight attack of illness
Example in sentence:
  • he has a touch of rheumatism
Meaning (6):
- the event of something coming in contact with the body
Example in sentence:
  • he longed for the touch of her hand;
  • the cooling touch of the night air
Meaning (7):
- the act of soliciting money (as a gift or loan)
Example in sentence:
  • he watched the beggar trying to make a touch
Meaning (8):
- the faculty by which external objects or forces are perceived through contact with the body (especially the hands)
Example in sentence:
  • only sight and touch enable us to locate objects in the space around us
Meaning (9):
- the sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin
Example in sentence:
  • she likes the touch of silk on her skin;
  • the surface had a greasy feeling
Meaning (10):
- a slight but appreciable amount
Example in sentence:
  • this dish could use a touch of garlic
Meaning (11):
- the feel of mechanical action
Example in sentence:
  • this piano has a wonderful touch
Meaning (12):
- a distinguishing style
Example in sentence:
  • this room needs a woman's touch
13 . touch [ v]
Meaning (13):
- affect emotionally
Example in sentence:
  • A stirring movie;
  • I was touched by your kind letter of sympathy
Meaning (14):
- to extend as far as
Example in sentence:
  • Can he reach?;
  • The chair must not touch the wall;
  • The sunlight reached the wall
Meaning (15):
- tamper with
Example in sentence:
  • Don't touch my CDs!
Meaning (16):
- make a more or less disguised reference to
Example in sentence:
  • He alluded to the problem but did not mention it
Meaning (17):
- comprehend
Example in sentence:
  • He could not touch the meaning of the poem;
  • I cannot make out what this politician is saying;
  • I sensed the real meaning of his letter
Meaning (18):
- cause to be in brief contact with
Example in sentence:
  • He touched his toes to the horse's flanks
Meaning (19):
- perceive via the tactile sense
Example in sentence:
  • Helen Keller felt the physical world by touching people and objects around her
Meaning (20):
- color lightly
Example in sentence:
  • her greying hair was tinged blond;
  • the leaves were tinged red in November
Meaning (21):
- be equal to in quality or ability
Example in sentence:
  • Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents;
  • Nothing can rival cotton for durability;
  • Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues
Meaning (22):
- deal with; usually used with a form of negation
Example in sentence:
  • I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole;
  • The local Mafia won't touch gambling
Meaning (23):
- be relevant to
Example in sentence:
  • My remark pertained to your earlier comments;
  • There were lots of questions referring to her talk
Meaning (24):
- consume
Example in sentence:
  • She didn't touch her food all night
Meaning (25):
- make physical contact with, come in contact with
Example in sentence:
  • She never touched her husband;
  • Touch the stone for good luck
Meaning (26):
- be in direct physical contact with; make contact
Example in sentence:
  • The surfaces contact at this point;
  • The two buildings touch;
  • The wire must not contact the metal cover;
  • Their hands touched
Meaning (27):
- have an effect upon
Example in sentence:
  • Will the new rules affect me?

Nearby Words:

toucan touch-box touch-me-not touch-needle touch-paper touchable touchback touchdown touched touchhole

See 'touch' also in:

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