touch

Noun

1. An act of touching, especially with the hand or finger.
   • Suddenly, in the crowd, I felt a touch at my shoulder.

   Synonyms: contact contaction taction

2. The faculty or sense of perception by physical contact.
   • With the lights out, she had to rely on touch to find her desk.

   Synonyms: tactition tact tactility taction touch

3. The style or technique with which one plays a musical instrument.
   • He performed one of Ravel's piano concertos with a wonderfully light and playful touch.
4. The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers.
   • a heavy touch, or a light touch
5. A distinguishing feature or characteristic.
   • Clever touches like this are what make her such a brilliant writer.

   Synonyms: trait attribute characteristic designation distinction distinctiveness feature hallmark owndom parameter property propriety quality race touch whatness

6. A little bit; a small amount.
   • Move it left just a touch and it will be perfect.
   • I'd like to see a touch more enthusiasm in the project.
   • Madam, I have a touch of your condition. - c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:...

   Synonyms: smidgen ace atom atomy aught bissel bit crumb glimpse dab damn dash diddly glint dot spatter drop dusting fleck glimmer hint flip flyspeck grain

7. The part of a sports field beyond the touchlines or goal-lines.
   • He got the ball, and kicked it straight out into touch.
8. A relationship of close communication or understanding.
   • He promised to keep in touch while he was away.
   • lose touch

   Synonyms: connection contact

9. The ability to perform a task well; aptitude.
   • I used to be a great chess player but I've lost my touch.
   • Rovers' hopes of pulling off one of the great European shocks of all time lasted just 10 minutes before Spurs finally found their scoring touch. - 2011 September 29, Jon Smith, “Tottenham 3 - 1 Shamrock Rovers”, in BBC...

   Synonyms: proficiency ability technique aptitude capacity craft capability competency competence cunning dexterity ease facility hand knack list prowess moxie potential skill talent tekkers touch

10. Act or power of exciting emotion.
    • Not alone / The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches, / Do strongly speak to us. - c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies,...
11. An emotion or affection.
    • a true, natural, and a sensible touch of mercy - [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):

    Synonyms: feeling affect emotion kibun sensation sentiment senniment touch

12. Personal reference or application.
    • Speech of touch toward others should be sparingly used. - 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Discourse”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

Verb

1. Primarily physical senses.
   • I touched his face softly.
   • While thus she spake, / She toucht his eye-lashes with libant lip / And breath'd ambrosial odours; […] - 1803, Walter Savage Landor, “Book VI”, in Gebir; a Poem: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Slatter and...

   Synonyms: contact feel grope handle touch

   1. (transitive) To make physical contact with; to bring the hand, finger or other part of the body into contact with.

   2. (transitive) To come into (involuntary) contact with; to meet or intersect.

      • Sitting on the bench, the hem of her skirt touched the ground.

   3. (intransitive) To come into physical contact, or to be in physical contact.

      • They stood next to each other, their shoulders touching.

   4. (intransitive) To make physical contact with a thing.

      • Please can I have a look, if I promise not to touch?

   5. (transitive) To physically disturb; to interfere with, molest, or attempt to harm through contact.

      • If you touch her, I'll kill you.
      • Let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 27:28-29:

   6. (transitive) To make intimate physical contact with a person.

      • The man was arrested for touching a girl without her consent.

      Synonyms: caress fondle grope

   7. (transitive, reflexive or rarely intransitive) To sexually excite with the fingers; to finger or masturbate.

      • Her parents had caught her touching herself when she was fifteen.

   8. To have sexual intercourse with

      • Tell me the truth, did you touch her?

   9. (transitive) To cause to be briefly in physical contact with something.

      • He quickly touched his knee to the worn marble.
      • The demonstrator nearly touched the rod on the ball.
      • She touched her lips to the glass.

   10. (transitive) To physically affect in specific ways implied by context.

       • Frankly, this wood's so strong that sandpaper won't touch it.

   11. (transitive) To begin to consume, or otherwise use.

       • Are you all right? You've hardly touched your lunch.
       • But Richmond[…]appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw[…]that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that...

       Synonyms: consume discuss get outside ingest partake put away touch

   12. (intransitive) Of a ship or its passengers: to land, to make a short stop (at).

       • Now a certain grand merchant ship once touched at Rokovoko, and its commander — from all accounts, a very stately punctilious gentleman, at least for a sea captain — this commander was invited to the wedding feast of...

   13. (transitive, now historical) To lay hands on (someone suffering from scrofula) as a form of cure, as formerly practised by English and French monarchs.

       • But in fact the English kings of the seventeenth century usually began to touch form the day of their accession, without waiting for any such consecration. - 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio...

   14. (intransitive, obsolete) To fasten; to take effect; to make impression.

       • Strong waters pierce metals, and will touch upon gold, that will not touch upon silver. - 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall...

   15. (nautical) To bring (a sail) so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.

   16. (intransitive, nautical) To be brought, as a sail, so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.

   17. (nautical) To keep the ship as near (the wind) as possible.

       • to touch the wind
2. Primarily non-physical senses.
   • My grandfather, as many people know, was touched with greatness.
   • This year, J. Allen Collier, the artistic director and producer, invited choreographers to create dance pieces exploring the multi-faceted responses to the AIDS crisis. This thematic unity touched the show with...

   1. (transitive) To imbue or endow with a specific quality.

   2. (transitive, archaic) To deal with in speech or writing; to mention briefly, to allude to.

      • Next to sorrow still I may annex such accidents as procure fear; for besides those terrors which I have before touched, […] there is a superstitious fear […] which much trouble many of us. - , I.2.4.vii

      Synonyms: bring up mention move reference toss up touch touch on

   3. (intransitive) To deal with in speech or writing; briefly to speak or write (on or upon something).

      • 'Well, but since we have touched upon this business, and for the last time I hope,' continued the doctor, 'there is one point I should like you to understand.[…]' - 1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Dr. Jekyll...

      Synonyms: refer affect bear upon bear on concern impact involve pertain regard relate touch

   4. (transitive) To concern, to have to do with.

      • Men of Israhell take hede to youreselves what ye entende to do as touchinge these men. - 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts:
      • The stories did not seem to me to touch life. They were plainly intended to have a bracing moral effect, and perhaps had this result for the people at whom they were aimed. They left me with the impression of a...
      • And now it seemed he was engaged in something which touched them closely, but must be hidden from their knowledge. - 1919, Saki, ‘The Penance’, The Toys of Peace, Penguin 2000 (Complete Short Stories), page 423

   5. (transitive, usually in the negative) To engage with, to be involved with.

      • I wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole.
      • His latest play is so shocking that his publisher wouldn't touch it and his friends almost dumped him. - 2005 February 9, Lyn Gardner, “The devil inside”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 27 Apr 2023:

   6. (transitive) To affect emotionally; to bring about tender or painful feelings in.

      • If you are so fond over her iniquity, give her patent to offend, for if it touch not you, it comes near nobody. - c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr....
      • Stefan was touched by the song's message of hope.

      Synonyms: affect move stir

   7. (transitive, dated) To affect in a negative way, especially only slightly.

      • He had been drinking over lunch, and was clearly touched.

   8. (transitive, Scottish history) To give royal assent to by touching it with the sceptre.

      • The bill was finally touched after many hours of deliberation.

   9. (transitive, slang) To obtain money from, usually by borrowing (from a friend).

      • I was running short, so I touched old Bertie for a fiver.

   10. (transitive, always passive) To disturb the mental functions of; to make somewhat insane; often followed with "in the head".

       • You must be touched if you think I'm taking your advice.

       Synonyms: dement becraze craze crazy up delirate dementate distract drive someone crazy enrage insaniate mad madden touch

   11. (transitive, in negative constructions) To be on the level of; to approach in excellence or quality.

       • There was his mistress, Maria Morano. I don't think I've ever seen anything to touch her, and when you work for the screen [as I do] you're apt to have a pretty exacting standard of female beauty. - 1928, Dorothy L....
       • 'Lind Arden was a great genius, one of the greatest tragic actresses in the world. As Lady Macbeth, as Magda, there was no one to touch her.' - 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 6, in Murder on the Orient Express, London:...

       Synonyms: match rival as good as compeer correspond equal equate to keep pace measure up paragon parallel touch

   12. (transitive) To come close to; to approach.

       • On Sunday afternoon it was as dark as night, with barely room for two riders abreast on a gradient that touches 20%. - 2012 July 15, Richard Williams, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off...

       Synonyms: near

   13. (transitive, computing) To mark (a file or document) as having been modified.

3. To try; to prove, as with a touchstone.
   • I mean to touch your love indeed. - c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio),...

   Synonyms: test

4. 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. - 1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves...
5. To infect; to affect slightly.
   • Hee was touched with great Remorse - 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and...
6. To strike; to manipulate; to play on.
   • to touch an instrument of music
   • [They] touched their golden harps. - 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […],...
7. To perform, as a tune; to play.
   • A person in the royal retinue touched a light and lively air on the flageolet. - 1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James...
8. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly.
   • No decree of mine,[…][to] touch with lightest moment of impulse his free will. - 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert...

Wikipedia

Touch