touch Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the event of something coming in contact with the body
    touching.
    • he longed for the touch of her hand
    • the cooling touch of the night air
  2. noun the faculty by which external objects or forces are perceived through contact with the body (especially the hands)
    sense of touch; touch modality; skin senses; cutaneous senses.
    • only sight and touch enable us to locate objects in the space around us
  3. noun a suggestion of some quality
    ghost; trace.
    • there was a touch of sarcasm in his tone
    • he detected a ghost of a smile on her face
  4. noun a distinguishing style
    signature.
    • this room needs a woman's touch
  5. noun the act of putting two things together with no space between them
    touching.
    • at his touch the room filled with lights
  6. noun a slight but appreciable amount
    jot; speck; hint; pinch; soupcon; mite; tinge.
    • this dish could use a touch of garlic
  7. noun a communicative interaction
    contact.
    • the pilot made contact with the base
    • he got in touch with his colleagues
  8. noun a slight attack of illness
    spot.
    • he has a touch of rheumatism
  9. noun the act of soliciting money (as a gift or loan)
    • he watched the beggar trying to make a touch
  10. noun the sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin
    feeling; tactual sensation; touch sensation; tactile sensation.
    • she likes the touch of silk on her skin
    • the surface had a greasy feeling
  11. noun deftness in handling matters
    • he has a master's touch
  12. noun the feel of mechanical action
    • this piano has a wonderful touch
  13. verb make physical contact with, come in contact with
    • Touch the stone for good luck
    • She never touched her husband
  14. verb perceive via the tactile sense
    • Helen Keller felt the physical world by touching people and objects around her
  15. verb affect emotionally
    stir.
    • A stirring movie
    • I was touched by your kind letter of sympathy
  16. verb be relevant to
    touch on; relate; pertain; have-to doe with; bear on; come to; refer; concern.
    • There were lots of questions referring to her talk
    • My remark pertained to your earlier comments
  17. verb be in direct physical contact with; make contact
    meet; contact; adjoin.
    • The two buildings touch
    • Their hands touched
    • The wire must not contact the metal cover
    • The surfaces contact at this point
  18. verb have an effect upon
    impact; touch on; bear upon; bear on; affect.
    • Will the new rules affect me?
  19. verb deal with; usually used with a form of negation
    • I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole
    • The local Mafia won't touch gambling
  20. verb cause to be in brief contact with
    • He touched his toes to the horse's flanks
  21. verb to extend as far as
    reach; extend to.
    • The sunlight reached the wall
    • Can he reach?" "The chair must not touch the wall
  22. verb be equal to in quality or ability
    rival; equal; match.
    • Nothing can rival cotton for durability
    • Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues
    • Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents
  23. verb tamper with
    disturb.
    • Don't touch my CDs!
  24. verb make a more or less disguised reference to
    allude; advert.
    • He alluded to the problem but did not mention it
  25. verb comprehend
    • He could not touch the meaning of the poem
  26. verb consume
    partake.
    • She didn't touch her food all night
  27. verb color lightly
    tinct; tint; tinge.
    • her greying hair was tinged blond
    • the leaves were tinged red in November

WordNet

Touch transitive verb
Etymology
F. toucher, OF. touchier, tuchier; of Teutonic origin; cf. OHG. zucchen, zukken, to twitch, pluck, draw, G. zukken, zukken, v. intens. fr. OHG. ziohan to draw, G. ziehen, akin to E. tug. See Tuck, v. t., Tug, and cf. Tocsin, Toccata.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Touched ; present participle & verbal noun Touching
Definitions
  1. To come in contact with; to hit or strike lightly against; to extend the hand, foot, or the like, so as to reach or rest on.
    Him thus intent Ithuriel with his spear Touched lightly. Milton.
  2. To perceive by the sense of feeling.
    Nothing but body can be touched or touch. Greech.
  3. To come to; to reach; to attain to.
    The god, vindictive, doomed them never more- Ah, men unblessed! -- to touch their natal shore. Pope.
  4. To try; to prove, as with a touchstone. Obs.
    Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed. Shak.
  5. To relate to; to concern; to affect.
    The quarrel toucheth none but us alone. Shak.
  6. To handle, speak of, or deal with; to treat of.
    Storial thing that toucheth gentilesse. Chaucer.
  7. To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the books. Pope.
  8. To affect the senses or the sensibility of; to move; to melt; to soften.
    What of sweet before Hath touched my sense, flat seems to this and harsh. Milton.
    The tender sire was touched with what he said. Addison.
  9. To mark or delineate with touches; to add a slight stroke to with the pencil or brush.
    The lines, though touched but faintly, are drawn right. Pope.
  10. To infect; to affect slightly. Bacon.
  11. To make an impression on; to have effect upon.
    Its face . . . so hard that a file will not touch it. Moxon.
  12. To strike; to manipulate; to play on; as, to touch an instrument of music.
    [They] touched their golden harps. Milton.
  13. To perform, as a tune; to play.
    A person is the royal retinue touched a light and lively air on the flageolet. Sir W. Scott.
  14. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly. " No decree of mine, . . . [to] touch with lightest moment of impulse his free will," Milton.
  15. To harm, afflict, or distress.
    Let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee. Gen. xxvi. 28, 29.
  16. To affect with insanity, especially in a slight degree; to make partially insane; -- rarely used except in the past participle.
    She feared his head was a little touched. Ld. Lytton.
  17. (Geom.) To be tangent to. See Tangent, a.
  18. To lay a hand upon for curing disease.
Touch intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To be in contact; to be in a state of junction, so that no space is between; as, two spheres touch only at points. Johnson.
  2. To fasten; to take effect; to make impression. R.
    Strong waters pierce metals, and will touch upon gold, that will not touch upon silver. Bacon.
  3. To treat anything in discourse, especially in a slight or casual manner; -- often with on or upon.
    If the antiquaries have touched upon it, they immediately quitted it. Addison.
  4. (Naut) To be brought, as a sail, so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.
    I made a little voyage round the lake, and touched on the several towns that lie on its coasts. Addison.
Touch noun
Etymology
Cf. F. touche. See Touch, v.
Definitions
  1. The act of touching, or the state of being touched; contact.
    Their touch affrights me as a serpent's sting. Shak.
  2. (Physiol.) The sense by which pressure or traction exerted on the skin is recognized; the sense by which the properties of bodies are determined by contact; the tactile sense. See Tactile sense, under Tactile.
    The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine. Pope.
    ✍ Pure tactile feelings are necessarily rare, since temperature sensations and muscular sensations are more or less combined with them. The organs of touch are found chiefly in the epidermis of the skin and certain underlying nervous structures.
  3. Act or power of exciting emotion.
    Not alone The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches, Do strongly speak to us. Shak.
  4. An emotion or affection.
    A true, natural, and a sensible touch of mercy. Hooker.
  5. Personal reference or application. Obs.
    Speech of touch toward others should be sparingly used. Bacon.
  6. A stroke; as, a touch of raillery; a satiric touch; hence, animadversion; censure; reproof.
    I never bare any touch of conscience with greater regret. Eikon Basilike.
  7. A single stroke on a drawing or a picture.
    Never give the least touch with your pencil till you have well examined your design. Dryden.
  8. Feature; lineament; trait.
    Of many faces, eyes, and hearts, To have the touches dearest prized. Shak.
  9. The act of the hand on a musical instrument; bence, in the plural, musical notes.
    Soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony. Shak.
  10. A small quantity intermixed; a little; a dash.
    Eyes La touch of Sir Peter Lely in them. Hazlitt.
    Madam, I have a touch of your condition. Shak.
  11. A hint; a suggestion; slight notice.
    A small touch will put him in mind of them. Bacon.
  12. A slight and brief essay. Colloq.
    Print my preface in such form as, in the booksellers' phrase, will make a sixpenny touch. Swift.
  13. A touchstone; hence, stone of the sort used for touchstone. Obs. " Now do I play the touch." Shak.
    A neat new monument of touch and alabaster. Fuller.
  14. Hence, examination or trial by some decisive standard; test; proof; tried quality.
    Equity, the true touch of all laws. Carew.
    Friends of noble touch . Shak.
  15. (Mus.) The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers; as, a heavy touch, or a light touch, also, the manner of touching, striking, or pressing the keys of a piano; as, a legato touch; a staccato touch.
  16. (Shipbilding) The broadest part of a plank worked top and but (see Top and but, under Top, n.), or of one worked anchor-stock fashion (that is, tapered from the middle to both ends); also, the angles of the stern timbers at the counters. J. Knowles.
  17. (Football) That part of the field which is beyond the line of flags on either side. Encyc. of Rural Sports.
  18. A boys' game; tag.

Webster 1913