From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishscorchscorch1 /skɔːtʃ $ skɔːrtʃ/ ●○○ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]BURN if you scorch something, or if it scorches, its surface burns slightly and changes colour The walls had been blackened and scorched by fire.► see thesaurus at burn2 [transitive]KILL if strong heat or wind scorches plants, it dries and damages them Direct sunlight will scorch the plant’s leaves.3 [transitive]BURN if strong heat scorches you, it burns you The hot sand scorched our feet.4 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] British English informalTRAVEL to travel extremely fastscorch along/down/across etc He scorched out of the gate, almost crashing his new sports car. —scorched adjective→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
scorch• Another reason is the restaurant's hi-tech broiler that reaches a scorching 900 degrees.• Stir the onions frequently to prevent scorching.• Add water during reheating to prevent scorching.• On her lips-a burst of crimson asymmetrical skeptical fleshy business-and-dream sensuality-the cigarette scorching away at the tip.• The stick scorched his fingers as he took the three strides across the room to his father.• The iron was too hot, and I scorched my shirt.• The knees of the Doctor's trousers were scorched off in an instant.• The camp offers almost no protection against the scorching sun and chilly nights.• Having the iron on a very high heat can scorch the fabric.• You had a magic haircut achieved without scissors and set off the smoke-alarm by scorching the toast.• The heater was left on all night and it scorched the wall.• The Working Groups on Sexism continued to meet throughout the spring and into the scorching Washington summer.scorchscorch2 noun 1 [countable]MARK a mark made on something where its surface has been burnt There were scorch marks on the kitchen worktop where a hot pan had been placed.2 [uncountable]HBP brown colouring on plants caused by some plant diseasesExamples from the Corpus
scorch• This shirt is ruined - there's a big scorch mark on the back.• Very quick acting, it is quickly soluble and liable to cause scorch.• Mr Bourne mentioned a fuse incorporated in plaited binder-twine; this would explain the deep scorch marks.• I bought it regardless, but have been watching ever since for scorch marks on the rucksack pocket where it lives.• The smell of scorch came floating down the stairs, very strong.• These collapse, shrivel and dry as though scorched - but this is not to be confused with frost scorch.scorch marks• Mr Bourne mentioned a fuse incorporated in plaited binder-twine; this would explain the deep scorch marks.• I bought it regardless, but have been watching ever since for scorch marks on the rucksack pocket where it lives.Origin scorch1 (1100-1200) Probably from a Scandinavian language 