to touch
- verb
- /tʌtʃ/
- Please do not touch that painting; it's very valuable and fragile.
- never touch
- allow to touch
- only touch
He was trying to touch me downstairs.
- He was trying to touch me downstairs.
- No, have you not seen me touch it, move it, touch it, move it.
- Consent is don't touch a stranger's private parts, right?
- You mother fuckers, you touch him and I'll fucking kill you.
Examples
-
Oh, don't touch those albums.
-
Don't touch it.
-
We make an attempt to touch base with each other daily.
Academic text (2011) -
I would not dare touch those plants out there.
-
He never allowed anybody to touch anything in the castle.
-
Children collect autographs on their programs and touch and play the instruments.
Academic text (2015) -
He came in screaming at me and saying how dare I touch his things.
-
- Don't touch her!
-
Desperate for contact, he reaches out to touch her cheek, but then hesitates and pulls back.
Fiction book (1990) -
The children specifically enjoyed interacting with the game by touching the rocket ship that hid the gremlin.
Academic text (1992)
Synonyms
To touch or hit something lightly to get attention
To touch something lightly while passing by
Move something and make it untidy or broken
To touch something with your fingers in a careful or curious way
Grab something or someone with your hands
To touch something lightly while passing by
To touch or hold something with your hands
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
Make someone feel upset or defensive by mentioning a sensitive subject
- Archaic
To tell viewers or listeners to keep watching and not change the channel during a break in the show
- Archaic
Tell someone not to change the radio or television channel before a show returns
Refuse to be involved with people or things that seem dangerous and dishonest
- Slur
A rude slang way to say someone shows small signs of autism and may offend people
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
A version of American football where players touch the player with the ball to stop them instead of tackling
A form of football where another player stops someone by touching them with both hands
- Specialized
A plant with seed pods that burst when you touch them and release seeds
- Australian
Touch football where another player touches someone twice to tackle them
- Jargon
A practice where soccer players control and pass the ball using two touches
- Jargon
A football exercise where each player may touch the ball only twice before passing
How Involved
Surface Forms
Etymology
Touch comes from the old French toucher, which could mean 'to handle' as well as 'to feel', so when we tell someone not to touch something we mean 'do not handle or move it'.