touch 1 of 2

verb

ˈtəch How to pronounce touch (audio)
Definition of touchnext
1
as in to feel
to come into bodily contact with (something) so as to perceive a slight pressure on the skin be careful not to touch this pan—it's still hot

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2
as in to influence
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response your speech on the true meaning of patriotism touched me deeply

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable unfortunately, his insufferable arrogance tends to touch even the good deeds that he does

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to join
to be adjacent to our property touches theirs right where that big elm tree is

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5
as in to affect
to be the business or affair of I don't think this decision touches you, so butt out

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touch

2 of 2

noun

1
as in contact
the state or fact of being able to exchange information regarding one's current situation everyone promised to keep in touch over the summer

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2
as in splash
a very small amount added just a touch of parsley to the dish

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in feature
something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind each designer has his or her own personal touches

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4
as in hint
an almost imperceptible sign of something a touch of irritation tinged his voice as the candidate fielded yet another question about his personal finances

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb touch differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of touch are affect, impress, influence, strike, and sway. While all these words mean "to produce or have an effect upon," touch may carry a vivid suggestion of close contact and may connote stirring, arousing, or harming.

plants touched by frost
his emotions were touched by her distress

When can affect be used instead of touch?

The words affect and touch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, affect implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction.

the sight affected her to tears

Where would impress be a reasonable alternative to touch?

The meanings of impress and touch largely overlap; however, impress stresses the depth and persistence of the effect.

only one of the plans impressed him

When could influence be used to replace touch?

The synonyms influence and touch are sometimes interchangeable, but influence implies a force that brings about a change (as in nature or behavior).

our beliefs are influenced by our upbringing

When is strike a more appropriate choice than touch?

While in some cases nearly identical to touch, strike, similar to but weaker than impress, may convey the notion of sudden sharp perception or appreciation.

struck by the solemnity of the occasion

When is it sensible to use sway instead of touch?

Although the words sway and touch have much in common, sway implies the acting of influences that are not resisted or are irresistible, with resulting change in character or course of action.

politicians who are swayed by popular opinion

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of touch
Verb
That sounds deeply improbable, and seems like a potential issue for Butcherbird, Ultron, and any other synthetic life that never touched the stone. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 The specific items vary by chain, and in some cases the tallow only touches part of the menu. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
Many of Murphy’s former college players keep in touch with him. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 But as Notre-Dame de Paris’s 1,100 square feet of vitrails, or the Technicolor touch Antoni Gaudí applied to Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia demonstrate, a gorgeous glow will endure. — Kelsey Mulvey, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for touch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch
  1. feel
  2. influence
  3. taint
  4. join
  5. affect
  6. contact
  7. splash
  8. feature
Verb
  • These sounds are strange bedfellows, but the delirium rarely feels indulgent or trivial.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Kurt's key takeaways What concerns me about this particular scam is how routine the email feels.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of feel
Verb
  • As voters decide which party can best rescue their chance at the American Dream, political experts say prolonged economic hardship is the defining feature influencing voters in the midterms.
    — Amy L. Wong, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Over the last two years Chuwi has traveled around the globe, and the foursome confirm that will influence their next project.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of influence
Verb
  • Or has dance music’s bad rap — as fun but vacuous and unserious — tainted the current version of the genre?
    — Rachel Narozniak, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2026
  • That means if the sewage system backs up, the sink could be tainted.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • Anthropic’s own customer blog profiles Jared Sires, a startup account executive who joined the sales team in 2024 with no coding background.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Procter & Gamble, Lockheed Martin and CSX were among the latest companies to join the list of those topping profit expectations for the summer, and gains for their stocks helped limit the market's losses Thursday.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of join
Verb
  • Smiling can affect brain chemicals that are associated with positive feelings including endorphins, dopamine and serotonin.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by warmer waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean that spur changes in the atmosphere that can affect weather around the world.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of affect
Noun
  • Top Commanders wideout Terry McLaurin had to be carted off the field in the first half with an apparent left knee injury after going down without contact.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities had begun tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the patient.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of contact
Noun
  • The finish has a bright splash of acidity and an enduring feeling of warm spice.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This offbeat tendency doesn’t preclude a desire to make a big splash, of course.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of splash
Noun
  • Social media giant Meta was hit with a class action lawsuit in Australia on behalf of children and teenagers who allegedly suffered harm over the addictive design features and exposure to harmful content on its platforms Facebook and Instagram.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • While the iPhone Duo’s software certainly felt much smoother and more fluid than Android alternatives, many of its core features have been available on Samsung or Google phones for years.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of feature

Phrases Containing touch

Browse Nearby Words

tot (up)
touch
touchable
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Cite this Entry

“Touch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on touch

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about touch

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