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touch [ touch ]

[
US
tʌtʃ ]
[
UK
tʌtʃ ]
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Verb

1. Come into or be in contact with.

His head hung low, with his chin nearly touching his chest.

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2. Bring one's hand or another part of one's body into contact with.

he touched a strand of her hair

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3. Come or bring into mutual contact.

Our fingers touched, and electricity crackled in the night.

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4. Strike (a ball) lightly in a specified direction.

A cross from Pat Gaughan found Wayne Crossley and he touched the ball into the bottom corner.

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5. Be tangent to (a curve or surface) at a certain point.
6. Handle in order to interfere with, alter, or otherwise affect.

Blogger's new image feature has screwed up my template which I haven't touched in years.

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7. Cause harm to (someone)

I've got friends who'll pull strings—nobody will dare touch me

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8. Consume or use (food, drink, money, etc.)

in three years I haven't touched a cent of the money

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9. Used to indicate that something is avoided or rejected.

They do not want even to touch social and economic rights.

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10. Affect or concern.

a tenth of state companies have been touched by privatization

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11. (of a quality or expression) be or become visible or apparent in.

He lowered his hand, a small smiled touching his lips.

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12. Produce feelings of affection, gratitude, or sympathy in.

she was touched by her friend's loyalty

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13. Reach (a specified level or amount)

But within a year, Yelena touched 4.10 metres at the World Youth Games.

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14. Be comparable to in quality or excellence.

Define your agenda in terms of freedom, security, identity and democracy - ‘and no one can touch you for it’.

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Noun

1. An act of touching someone or something.

expressions of love through words and touch

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2. The faculty of perception through physical contact, especially with the fingers.

reading by touch

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3. A musician's manner of playing keys or strings.

The Raindrop Prelude had the requisite lightness of touch.

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4. The manner in which a musical instrument's keys or strings respond to being played.

Viennese instruments with their too delicate touch

5. A light stroke with a pen, pencil, etc.

Incremental in approach, painstaking in process, the drawings coax a range of associations from the touch of the pencil.

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6. A small amount; a trace.

A touch of sweetness is a good thing in her book too.

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7. A small distinctive detail or feature.

the film's most inventive touch

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8. A distinctive manner or method of dealing with something.

These two midfielders directed the game with an expert touch.

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9. An ability to deal with something successfully.

Is it just me, or are some bands losing their touch?

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10. The area beyond the sidelines, out of play.

But his pass is overhit and goes straight into touch.

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11. An act of asking for and getting a loan or gift from someone.

I only tolerated him because he was good for a touch now and then

12. A series of changes shorter than a peal.
13. A thing that tests the worth or character of something.

you must put your fate to the touch

Touch up

1. (touch something up, touch up something) Make small improvements to the appearance or finish of something.

these paints are handy for touching up small areas on walls or ceilings

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2. (touch someone up, touch up someone) Touch or fondle someone without their consent for one's own sexual pleasure.

he was sacked after one of his pupils accused him of touching her up

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Touch down

1. (of an aircraft or spacecraft) land.

Tailwheel aircraft might actually touch down tailwheel-first.

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2. (of a tornado) make contact with the ground.

at least five tornadoes touched down in Iowa last night

3. Touch the ground with the ball behind the opponents' goal line, scoring a try.

A try is scored in the usual way by touching down the rugby ball.

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Touch at

1. (touch at somewhere) (of a ship) call briefly at a port.

before returning to Denmark, he touched at Sandwich

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Touch for

1. (touch someone for something) Ask someone for money as a loan or gift.

You can touch Evan for the occasional meal or drinks but a million bucks is crossing the line.

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Touch on

1. (touch on something) Deal briefly with a subject in written or spoken discussion.

He packs in a great deal of information and touches on many subjects.

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2. (touch on something) Come near to being.

a self-confident manner touching on the arrogant

Touch off

1. (touch something off, touch off something) Cause something to happen suddenly.

The killer waves were touched off by a 9.0 earthquake, six miles under the Indian Ocean.

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2. (touch something off, touch off something) Cause something to ignite or explode by touching it.

When you touch it off though, it gets your attention.

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3. (touch something off, touch off something) (of a racehorse) defeat another horse in a race by a short margin.

Royal Ballerina was touched off by Intrepidity in the English Oaks

Touch in

1. (touch something in, touch in something) Lightly mark in features or other details with a brush or pencil.

the dry leaves in the hedges may be touched in with burnt sienna

Origin

1. Middle English the verb from Old French tochier, probably from a Romance word of imitative origin; the noun originally from Old French touche, later (in certain senses) directly from the verb.

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