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Glite Dictionary
a touch of

a touch of

66 2.3
A small amount of something added to improve or change it
  • idiom
translation icon : un toque de
  • It's amazing what just a touch of foundation can do to the skin.
  • add a touch of
  • lend a touch of
  • perhaps a touch of

Also, I hate to say it, a touch of madness, yes.

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Examples

  • I'm just going to apply a touch of this to my lid.

  • For the first time, she detected a touch of something taut in his voice.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • That actually went on so smooth and gave just like a touch of color to my look.

  • I'm just going to take a touch of red just to see.

  • Yes, and this kind of adds a touch of casual charm.

  • His clothes were beautifully tailored, and he had just a touch of an English accent.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • It's water with a touch of true fruit flavor.

  • Coffee-sipping delegates looked on with what seemed like a touch of wonder and a dash of fear.

    Academic text (2007)

  • It's a human-interest documentary, with a touch of comedy thrown in.

    Academic text (2005)

  • It's amazing what just a touch of foundation can do to the skin.

Synonyms

a hint of
vsa touch of
180 2.4

A small amount of something you can just notice

is a small plain amount rather than an especially subtle mark
suggestion
vsa touch of
24 3.5

A small sign that something is there

is a small physical amount rather than an abstract trace
smidge
vsa touch of
  • Informal
14 7.9

A very small amount of something

is a small trace rather than an informal tiny measure
a pinch of
vsa touch of
12 1.5

A very small amount of salt or spice used in cooking

is a general small amount not limited to cooking use
smidgen
vsa touch of
  • Informal
9 7.3

A very small amount, like a tiny bit of salt

is a small trace rather than a casual tiny unit

Antonyms

quite a little
  • Informal
3 6.6

A fairly large amount of something

How Much

lot
∞ 1.0
some
∞ 1.0
a touch of
66 2.3
dash of
18 1.3
a hint of
180 2.4
trace
492 3.3

Surface Forms

a touch of singular
touches of plural

Morphology

a + touch + of

The meaning 'a small amount or slight trace' is directly built from 'touch' (a slight trace or hint) combined with the determiner 'a' and the preposition 'of', forming a quantifying phrase. This compositional pattern is common across languages and follows regular English noun phrase formation, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase a touch of comes from the idea of a small, careful touch—imagine a cook adding a tiny bit of salt or a painter adding a tiny dab of color. So it now means 'a small amount' or 'a slight trace' of something.