v.
1 put (one's) hand on, feel, handle:
She leant forward and touched my hand.
2 bring into contact with, apply, put, set:
He touched a match to the fuse and ran.
3 Sometimes, touch (up) against. be in contact (with), border, adjoin, meet, come up or be (up) against, push or press or lean (up) against, brush or rub (up) against, come or be together, abut:
The ladder is touching the freshly painted wall.
4 lay a hand or finger on; meddle with, have to do with, interfere with, come near, approach:
If you touch me, I'll scream.
5 drink, eat, consume, partake of, take, use, taste, have to do with:
He swore that he would never touch alcohol again.
6 affect, impress, influence, disturb, move, stir, arouse, excite, impassion, stimulate, strike, Colloq get to:
We were touched by your sympathetic note.
7 rival, match, equal, compare with, come up to, be on a par with, be a match for, be in the same league or class as or with, be on an equal footing with, reach, come or get near or close to, hold a candle to, measure up to or against, Colloq US stack up to or with or against:
No other car can touch our new model for speed and safety.
8 Usually, touch on or upon. refer to, have reference to, pertain to, relate to, have a bearing on, regard, mention, allude to, speak or write of, tell of, bring up or in, raise, deal with, cover:
I must now touch upon a delicate matter.
9 have access to, access, use, employ, make use of, put to use, avail (oneself) of, take, get, take advantage of:
I do not touch the principal, but try to live off the interest.
10 touch down. land, alight, come to earth:
We touched down for fuel at Gander, Newfoundland.
11 touch off.
(a) detonate, spark (off), set alight, set off, ignite, light, fire, put a match to:
We touched off the gunpowder and blew up the arsenal.
(b) instigate, initiate, begin, start, set in motion, ignite, set off, trigger, provoke, foment, cause, give rise to:
Her offhand remark touched off a family row that lasted for years.
12 touch up. retouch, patch up; beautify, enhance, titivate, renovate, spruce up:
She said that the painting had recently been touched up. Mandy is upstairs touching up her make-up.
n.
13 feeling, feel, texture:
She wants nothing but the touch of silk next to her body.
14 pat, tap, blow, hit, stroke, brush, caress:
She hated him so much that she cringed at the touch of his hand.
15 dash, hint, intimation, suggestion, soupçon, bit, intimation, pinch, jot, spot, trace, tinge, taste, suspicion, smattering, colouring, smack, speck, drop, whiff, odour, scent, smell:
Cynthia has a touch of hypocrisy about her. The salad dressing could use a touch more garlic.
16 ability, deftness, expertise, dexterity, adroitness, facility, skill, skilfulness, knack, capability, genius, talent, gift, flair:
Richard has a master's touch in everything he does.
17 response, feel, responsiveness, feeling, movement, operation, performance level:
This piano action has an excellent touch.
18 signature, trade mark, characteristic, influence, approach, style, manner, technique, execution, method:
I thought I recognized your touch in the furniture selection. A woman's touch might have helped.
noun
1 act of touching sb/sth
ADJ.
delicate, gentle, light, slight
The slightest touch will set off the alarm.
PREP.
at sb/sth's ~
The door swung open at his touch. You can now do your shopping at the touch of a button.
2 small detail
ADJ.
final, finishing | decorative, festive, homely, romantic
The family photos give the room a homely touch.
| humorous | classy, lovely, nice, professional
Giving her flowers was a nice touch.
| feminine, human, idiosyncratic, individual, personal | little
The decor includes many idiosyncratic little touches.
VERB + TOUCH
add, give sth, put
She's just putting the finishing touches to her painting.
3 particular ability
ADJ.
golden, magic | deft, sure
With students she had a sure touch and showed great personal sensitivity.
| light
He handles this controversial subject with a light touch.
| political
He found his old political touch when the crisis emerged.
VERB + TOUCH
find | lose
Maybe the champion is losing her magic touch.
4 small amount of sth
ADJ.
little, subtle | welcome
VERB + TOUCH
add, bring
Her speech brought a welcome touch of humour to the evening.
PREP.
with a ~ of
‘Thanks,’ she said, with a touch of sarcasm.
| ~ of
5 contact
ADJ.
close
The security staff were in close touch with the local police.
VERB + TOUCH
get in
I'm trying to get in touch with Jane. Do you have her number?
| keep in, stay in
It is important to keep in touch with the latest research. Let's keep in touch.
| put sb in
I'll put you in touch with someone in your area.
| lose
I've lost touch with all my old friends.
PREP.
in ~
Are you still in touch with your friends from college?
| out of ~
This government is increasingly out of touch with ordinary voters.
| ~ with
verb
1 put your hand on sb/sth; be in contact with sb/sth
ADV.
(not) actually, not even, not quite
He did not actually touch the substance, but may have inhaled microparticles.
| barely, hardly, scarcely
You've hardly touched your food (= not eaten it).
| almost, nearly, practically
Their faces were almost touching.
| just | briefly
His fingers briefly touched hers.
| gently, lightly | gingerly | accidentally, inadvertently
He accidentally touched a live wire attached to overhead power cables.
| never
He said I kicked him, but I never touched him!
VERB + TOUCH
want to | (not) dare (to)
Don't you dare touch me!
| reach out to
Her hand reached out to touch his cheek.
| let sb
He wouldn't let me touch the wound.
PREP.
on
He touched her gently on the arm.
| with
She touched him with her hand.
2 make sb feel a strong emotion
ADV.
deeply
The story touched me very deeply.
PHRASAL VERBS touch on/upon sth
ADV.
briefly | just, merely
Photojournalism and the birth of photography are merely touched on in the book.
VERB + TOUCH
want to
I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.
Random quote: There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; theres only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.: Wayne Dyer
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