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to touch

to touch

826 1.0
To move or use something that belongs to someone else
  • verb
  • /tʌtʃ/
: tocar
  • 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.

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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 brush
vsto touch
125 1.6

To touch something lightly while passing by

covers handling or interfering beyond just light or brief contact
to tap
vsto touch
98 1.0

To touch or hit something lightly to get attention

is broader, covering handling or interference rather than just light hits
to lay hands on
vsto touch
69 4.6

To touch or hold something with your hands

is broader, covering any handling including without permission
to finger
vsto touch
42 2.8

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

is broader, including accidental or unpermitted contact as well
to disturb
vsto touch
38 2.1

Move something and make it untidy or broken

is about handling or touching without necessarily causing disorder
to take hold of
vsto touch
32 3.1

Grab something or someone with your hands

is more general, including touching without seizing or force
to brush against
vsto touch
23 3.1

To touch something lightly while passing by

includes deliberate contact or handling, not only accidental grazes

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

∞ 2.3

To avoid touching and disturbing a person, animal or object

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 Involved

to tamper
139 4.9
to meddle
68 5.7
to touch
826 1.0
to handle
169 1.0

Surface Forms

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

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'.