If you touch something, you gently put your fingers or hand on it.
If you are touched by something, it makes you feel sad, sympathetic, or grateful.
You do not use 'touch' to say that something changes or influences a person or thing. You do not say, for example, 'We wanted to know how these proposals would touch our town'. The word you use is affect.
Imperative |
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touch |
touch |
Noun | 1. | ![]() impinging, striking, contact - the physical coming together of two or more things; "contact with the pier scraped paint from the hull" light touch, brush - momentary contact stroke - a light touch |
2. | ![]() exteroception - sensitivity to stimuli originating outside of the body somatosense - any of the sensory systems that mediate sensations of pressure and tickle and warmth and cold and vibration and limb position and limb movement and pain somatic sense, somatic sensory system, somatosensory system, somaesthesis, somataesthesis, somesthesis, somaesthesia, somatesthesia, somesthesia - the faculty of bodily perception; sensory systems associated with the body; includes skin senses and proprioception and the internal organs | |
3. | ![]() proffer, proposition, suggestion - a proposal offered for acceptance or rejection; "it was a suggestion we couldn't refuse" | |
4. | ![]() fashion, manner, mode, style, way - how something is done or how it happens; "her dignified manner"; "his rapid manner of talking"; "their nomadic mode of existence"; "in the characteristic New York style"; "a lonely way of life"; "in an abrasive fashion" common touch - the property of appealing to people in general (usually by appearing to have qualities in common with them) | |
5. | ![]() physical contact, contact - the act of touching physically; "her fingers came in contact with the light switch" hitting, striking, hit - the act of contacting one thing with another; "repeated hitting raised a large bruise"; "after three misses she finally got a hit" jab, dig - the act of touching someone suddenly with your finger or elbow; "she gave me a sharp dig in the ribs" kiss - a light glancing touch; "there was a brief kiss of their hands in passing" snap, grab, snatch, catch - the act of catching an object with the hands; "Mays made the catch with his back to the plate"; "he made a grab for the ball before it landed"; "Martin's snatch at the bridle failed and the horse raced away"; "the infielder's snap and throw was a single motion" handling, manipulation - the action of touching with the hands (or the skillful use of the hands) or by the use of mechanical means fingering - touching something with the fingers grope - the act of groping; and instance of groping palpation, tactual exploration - a method of examination in which the examiner feels the size or shape or firmness or location of something (of body parts when the examiner is a health professional) tag - (sports) the act of touching a player in a game (which changes their status in the game) | |
6. | ![]() small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude snuff - a pinch of smokeless tobacco inhaled at a single time | |
7. | ![]() communicating, communication - the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information; "they could not act without official communication from Moscow" | |
8. | ![]() attack - a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition; "an attack of diarrhea" | |
9. | ![]() solicitation - an entreaty addressed to someone of superior status; "a solicitation to the king for relief" | |
10. | ![]() perception - the process of perceiving creepiness - an uneasy sensation as of insects creeping on your skin | |
11. | ![]() adeptness, adroitness, deftness, quickness, facility - skillful performance or ability without difficulty; "his quick adeptness was a product of good design"; "he was famous for his facility as an archer" | |
12. | ![]() tactile property, feel - a property perceived by touch | |
Verb | 1. | ![]() engage - get caught; "make sure the gear is engaged" touch - cause to be in brief contact with; "He touched his toes to the horse's flanks" toe - touch with the toe pick up - take up by hand; "He picked up the book and started to read" strike, hit - produce by manipulating keys or strings of musical instruments, also metaphorically; "The pianist strikes a middle C"; "strike `z' on the keyboard"; "her comments struck a sour note" feel - pass one's hands over the sexual organs of; "He felt the girl in the movie theater" palpate, feel - examine (a body part) by palpation; "The nurse palpated the patient's stomach"; "The runner felt her pulse" stroke - touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions; "He stroked his long beard" collide with, impinge on, hit, run into, strike - hit against; come into sudden contact with; "The car hit a tree"; "He struck the table with his elbow" brush - touch lightly and briefly; "He brushed the wall lightly" hit - deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument; "He hit her hard in the face" strike - deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon; "The teacher struck the child"; "the opponent refused to strike"; "The boxer struck the attacker dead" buss, kiss, snog, osculate - touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.; "The newly married couple kissed"; "She kissed her grandfather on the forehead when she entered the room" kiss - touch lightly or gently; "the blossoms were kissed by the soft rain" mouth - touch with the mouth press - exert pressure or force to or upon; "He pressed down on the boards"; "press your thumb on this spot" tag - touch a player while he is holding the ball touch down - come or bring (a plane) to a landing; "the plane touched down at noon" |
2. | ![]() perceive, comprehend - to become aware of through the senses; "I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon" | |
3. | ![]() impress, strike, affect, move - have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; "This child impressed me as unusually mature"; "This behavior struck me as odd" get - evoke an emotional response; "Brahms's `Requiem' gets me every time" | |
4. | touch - be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments" allude, advert, touch - make a more or less disguised reference to; "He alluded to the problem but did not mention it" center, center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about, revolve around - center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her children"; "Our day revolved around our work" go for, apply, hold - be pertinent or relevant or applicable; "The same laws apply to you!"; "This theory holds for all irrational numbers"; "The same rules go for everyone" | |
5. | ![]() spread over, cover - form a cover over; "The grass covered the grave" cling, cohere, adhere, cleave, stick - come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation; "The dress clings to her body"; "The label stuck to the box"; "The sushi rice grains cohere" attach - be attached; be in contact with hug - fit closely or tightly; "The dress hugged her hips" butt against, butt on, abut, adjoin, edge, border, march - lie adjacent to another or share a boundary; "Canada adjoins the U.S."; "England marches with Scotland" | |
6. | touch - have an effect upon; "Will the new rules affect me?" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" strike a blow - affect adversely; "The court ruling struck a blow at the old segregation laws" repercuss - cause repercussions; have an unwanted effect tell on - produce an effect or strain on somebody; "Each step told on his tired legs" redound - have an effect for good or ill; "Her efforts will redound to the general good" stimulate, excite - act as a stimulant; "The book stimulated her imagination"; "This play stimulates" process, treat - subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition; "process cheese"; "process hair"; "treat the water so it can be drunk"; "treat the lawn with chemicals" ; "treat an oil spill" tinge, color, colour, distort - affect as in thought or feeling; "My personal feelings color my judgment in this case"; "The sadness tinged his life" hit, strike - affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely; "We were hit by really bad weather"; "He was stricken with cancer when he was still a teenager"; "The earthquake struck at midnight" subject - cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to; "He subjected me to his awful poetry"; "The sergeant subjected the new recruits to many drills"; "People in Chernobyl were subjected to radiation" discommode, disoblige, incommode, inconvenience, put out, trouble, bother - to cause inconvenience or discomfort to; "Sorry to trouble you, but..." act upon, influence, work - have and exert influence or effect; "The artist's work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate" slam-dunk - make a forceful move against; "the electronic travel market is slam-dunking traditional travel agencies" | |
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8. | ![]() touch - make physical contact with, come in contact with; "Touch the stone for good luck"; "She never touched her husband" | |
9. | ![]() be - occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is behind this behavior?" reach into - run into or up to | |
10. | touch - be equal to in quality or ability; "Nothing can rival cotton for durability"; "Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues"; "Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents" | |
11. | ![]() alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" upset - disturb the balance or stability of; "The hostile talks upset the peaceful relations between the two countries" violate - destroy; "Don't violate my garden"; "violate my privacy" | |
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13. | ![]() understand - know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means" | |
14. | ![]() ingest, consume, have, take in, take - serve oneself to, or consume regularly; "Have another bowl of chicken soup!"; "I don't take sugar in my coffee" receive - partake of the Holy Eucharist sacrament | |
15. | ![]() henna - apply henna to one's hair; "She hennas her hair every month" color, color in, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" tincture - stain or tint with a color; "The leaves were tinctured with a bright red" complexion - give a certain color to; "The setting sun complexioned the hills" |