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to touch

to touch

∞ 1.0
To put your hand or body on something to feel it
  • verb
  • /tʌtʃ/
: tocar
  • Some fit a broader cross-section of disciplines that touch upon the same area of investigation.
  • touch someone's hand
  • reach out and touch
  • touch my finger

Get out of here, don't touch me, OK?

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Examples

  • It seems like everything you touch, it lasts.

  • But when I would touch my muscles, they felt soft.

  • Sometimes you have to walk up and touch them to pull them out.

    Academic text (2015)
  • After this, the teacher can let the students see and touch the actual part.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The first five things she touches I will buy for her.

  • Call for using sight, hearing, and touch; teach in small increments; help students improve their spelling.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Her desk screen lit, and she touched keys to summon up the file she needed.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • She reached out to touch the smooth surface of the glass.

  • When you touch a pet, it can be comforting for both you and the animal.

  • Please do not touch the painting, as it is very delicate.

Synonyms

to brush
vsto touch
125 1.6

To touch something lightly while passing by

covers broader physical contact, not only light or passing
to tap
vsto touch
98 1.0

To touch or hit something lightly to get attention

is general physical contact without implied force or sound
to lay hands on
vsto touch
69 4.6

To touch or hold something with your hands

is a simpler act of placing a part or object against another
to caress
vsto touch
52 3.4

To touch someone or something gently to show love

is neutral physical contact, not necessarily affectionate or gentle
to finger
vsto touch
42 2.8

To touch something with your fingers in a careful or curious way

is general physical contact without deliberate manual probing
to adjoin
vsto touch
35 5.2

Next to and touching another place, like a house next to a park

is active physical meeting rather than simply being adjacent
to brush against
vsto touch
23 3.1

To touch something lightly while passing by

is the general act of making contact, not only accidental grazing
to contact
vsto touch
9 2.3

To touch someone or something directly

involves placing a body part or object against another

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

Idioms

92 4.9

Not aware of recent events or people's feelings

75 2.3

A small amount of something added to improve or change it

26 3.0

A small extra detail that makes something look or feel better

to touch a nerve
  • Informal
11 7.7

Make someone feel upset or defensive by mentioning a sensitive subject

No longer have the skill you once had to do something well

Midas touch
  • Informal
5 8.1

A special ability to make money or do well in many things

Make someone feel strong emotion or sympathy

to touch a chord
  • Informal
2 5.8

To make a person feel a strong emotion

2 6.1

A natural ability to do something well

1 9.3

To tell viewers or listeners to keep watching and not change the channel during a break in the show

1 8.3

You say it to try to stop bad luck after saying something good

1 9.1

Tell someone not to change the radio or television channel before a show returns

Ask an important person for help or a blessing

To become less good at something you used to do well

Refuse to be involved with people or things that seem dangerous and dishonest

A rude slang way to say someone shows small signs of autism and may offend people

Phrasal Verbs

194 2.3

Contact someone after not talking for a while

Continue to talk or write to someone after you move away

77 3.4

To mention something briefly without giving details

49 3.6

To land on the ground after a flight

26 3.8

Make small changes to something to improve how it looks

21 4.0

To affect something or someone, often slightly

18 3.5

To make brief contact to give or get an update

16 7.4

Make an event or strong reaction start suddenly

to touch oneself
  • Offensive
1 9.8

To touch your own private parts for sexual pleasure

1 9.9

To touch your own sexual parts to feel pleasure at night

To put a plan aside and often leave it without action

8.4

To take a break from online life and spend time outside in nature

Compounds

A last small detail that makes something look or feel complete

27 2.7

A screen you touch to control a phone or tablet

touch-and-go
  • Informal
20 7.2

A situation that is dangerous or uncertain until the last moment

13 3.9

A small repair to make something look better

11 3.9

A gentle, brief contact made with little force

9 3.2

A version of American football where players touch the player with the ball to stop them instead of tackling

9 3.7

A gentle way of touching or handling people and objects

A small amount of care that makes something special

The ability to feel things through the skin

A small extra detail that makes something feel nicer

3 4.6

A way of connecting with ordinary people that makes them feel understood

golden touch
  • Informal
2 5.2

A skill for making projects succeed easily

bad touch
  • Offensive
2 9.0

Unwanted physical contact that makes someone feel scared or uncomfortable

1 3.6

A way to use all fingers on a keyboard without looking at it

two touch
  • Jargon
1 6.2

A football exercise where each player may touch the ball only twice before passing

1 4.1

Used for small repairs that make something look better

1 4.6

A form of football where another player stops someone by touching them with both hands

1 5.4

A person who uses a keyboard without looking at the keys

touch-me-not
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A plant with seed pods that burst when you touch them and release seeds

soft touch
  • Offensive
1 7.0

A person who easily agrees and can be taken advantage of

A small detail that makes something look beautiful and special

touch sensation
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A feeling on the skin when something presses or rests on it

1 9.8

A tendency to make everything a person touches fail

touch perception
  • Specialized
1 4.5

Ability to feel pressure, heat, or pain on the skin

1 3.7

To type by pressing keys without looking, using trained finger positions

A small detail that makes something look brighter and happier

game of two touch
  • Australian
8.4

Touch football where another player touches someone twice to tackle them

touch modality
  • Specialized
7.0

The sense that lets you feel objects through physical contact

touch-me-not
  • Specialized
9.5

A plant with leaves that fold together when you touch them

5.5

A practice where soccer players control and pass the ball using two touches

How Hard

to slap
472 1.0
press
18 1.3
to touch
∞ 1.0
to tap
98 1.0
to brush
125 1.6

Surface Forms

touch infinitive
touched past
touched past participle
touching present participle
touches third person singular

Etymology

Touch comes from the old French verb toucher, meaning 'to feel with the hand' or 'to strike', so to touch something is to make physical contact with it.