English Dictionary

touch

/tʌt͡ʃ/

verb

(transitive) To make physical contact with; to bring the hand, finger or other part of the body into contact with. / (transitive) To come into (involuntary) contact with; to meet or intersect.

She gently touched the flower petals.

意味（1）

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

I touched his face softly.

意味（2）

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

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

意味（3）

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

They stood next to each other, their shoulders touching.

意味（4）

(intransitive) To make physical contact with a thing.

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

意味（5）

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

If you touch her, I'll kill you.

意味（6）

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

意味（7）

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

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

意味（8）

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

He quickly touched his knee to the worn marble.

意味（9）

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

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

意味（10）

(transitive) To consume, or otherwise use.

Are you all right? You've hardly touched your lunch.

意味（11）

(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 Queequeg's sister, a pretty young princess just turned of ten.

意味（12）

(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.

意味（13）

(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.

意味（14）

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

意味（15）

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

意味（16）

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

to touch the wind

意味（17）

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

My grandfather, as many people know, was touched with greatness.

意味（18）

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

, I.2.4.vii:

, I.2.4.vii: 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.

意味（19）

(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.

意味（20）

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

Men of Israhell take hede to youreselves what ye entende to do as touchinge these men.

意味（21）

(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

If you are so fond over her iniquity, give her patent to offend, for if it touch not you, it comes near nobody.

意味（22）

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

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

意味（23）

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

The bill was finally touched after many hours of deliberation.

意味（24）

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

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

意味（25）

(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.

意味（26）

(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.

意味（27）

(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%.

意味（28）

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

意味（29）

To try; to prove, as with a touchstone.

I mean to touch your love indeed.

意味（30）

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.

意味（31）

(obsolete) To infect; to affect slightly.

Hee was touched with great Remorse

意味（32）

To strike; to manipulate; to play on.

to touch an instrument of music

意味（33）

To perform, as a tune; to play.

A person in the royal retinue touched a light and lively air on the flageolet.

意味（34）

To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly.

No decree of mine,[…][to] touch with lightest moment of impulse his free will.