touch
Other forms: touched; touching; touches
To touch is to come in contact with something, especially using your fingers. When your friend dares you to touch her pet spider, you'll find out what's stronger — your fear of spiders or your fear of looking like a wimp.
The verb touch also means to emotionally affect. At your grandparents' fiftieth anniversary party, it might touch you to see how much they clearly still love each other. The noun touch can mean a hint of something, or just a small amount. You might have a touch of a cold, but it isn't enough to keep you home in bed.
Definitions of touch
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make physical contact with, come in contact with“Touch the stone for good luck”
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types:
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engage
get caught
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toe
touch with the toe
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pick up
take up by hand
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hit, strike
produce by manipulating keys or strings of musical instruments, also metaphorically
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finger, thumb
feel or handle with the fingers
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feel, palpate
examine (a body part) by palpation
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handle, palm
touch, lift, or hold with the hands
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stroke
touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
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collide with, hit, impinge on, run into, strike
hit against; come into sudden contact with
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brush
touch lightly and briefly
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skim, skim over
move or pass swiftly and lightly over the surface of
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hit
deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument
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strike
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
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buss, kiss, osculate, snog
touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
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kiss
touch lightly or gently
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mouth
touch with the mouth
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press
exert pressure or force to or upon
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tag
touch a player while he is holding the ball
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stub
strike (one's toe) accidentally against an object
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lock
become rigid or immoveable
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field
catch or pick up (balls) in baseball or cricket
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fumble
handle clumsily
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manipulate
hold something in one's hands and move it
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caress, fondle
touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner
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jab
strike or punch with quick and short blows
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dab, pat
hit lightly
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bunt, butt
to strike, thrust or shove against
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ping
hit with a pinging noise
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bang, spang
leap, jerk, bang
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rear-end
collide with the rear end of
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broadside
collide with the broad side of
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clap
strike with the flat of the hand; usually in a friendly way, as in encouragement or greeting
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connect
land on or hit solidly
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spat
strike with a sound like that of falling rain
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thud
strike with a dull sound
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bottom
strike the ground, as with a ship's bottom
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bottom out
hit the ground
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knock, strike hard
deliver a sharp blow or push :"He knocked the glass clear across the room"
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bump, knock
knock against with force or violence
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cut down, down, knock down, pull down, push down
cause to come or go down
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bump into, butt against, jar against, knock against, run into
collide violently with an obstacle
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crease, graze, rake
scrape gently
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spur
strike with a spur
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flick
touch or hit with a light, quick blow
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bang, slam
strike violently
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lace into, lam into, lay into, pitch into, tear into
hit violently, as in an attack
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beak, peck, pick
hit lightly with a picking motion
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tap, tip
strike lightly
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hew
strike with an axe; cut down, strike
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sideswipe
strike from the side
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kick
strike with the foot
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swipe
strike with a swiping motion
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smite
inflict a heavy blow on, with the hand, a tool, or a weapon
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hook
hit with a hook
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swat
hit swiftly with a violent blow
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bash, bonk, bop, sock, whap, whop
hit hard
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lash, whip
strike as if by whipping
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beat
hit repeatedly
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beat
strike (a part of one's own body) repeatedly, as in great emotion or in accompaniment to music
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bean
hit on the head, especially with a pitched baseball
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pop
hit or strike
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catch, get
reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot
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conk
hit, especially on the head
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cosh
hit with a cosh, usually on the head
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brain
hit on the head
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blast, boom, nail, smash
hit hard
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crack
hit forcefully; deal a hard blow, making a cracking noise
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sandbag, stun
hit something or somebody as if with a sandbag
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sclaff
strike (the ground) in making a sclaff
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manhandle
handle roughly
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clout
strike hard, especially with the fist
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bat
strike with, or as if with a baseball bat
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bat
use a bat
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bat
have a turn at bat
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cut
hit (a ball) with a spin so that it turns in the opposite direction
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knap, rap
strike sharply
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poke, pound, thump
hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
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smack, thwack
deliver a hard blow to
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belt
deliver a blow to
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plug, punch
deliver a quick blow to
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chop
strike sharply, as in some sports
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slog, slug, swig
strike heavily, especially with the fist or a bat
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wallop, whack, wham, whop
hit hard
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biff, pommel, pummel
strike, usually with the fist
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slap
hit with something flat, like a paddle or the open hand
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sclaff
strike (a golf ball) such that the ground is scraped first
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buff, buffet
strike, beat repeatedly
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batter, buffet, knock about
strike against forcefully
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box
hit with the fist
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bludgeon, club
strike with a club or a bludgeon
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cudgel, fustigate
strike with a cudgel
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peck, smack
kiss lightly
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lap, lick
pass the tongue over
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squeeze
press firmly
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clash, collide
crash together with violent impact
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crush, mash, squash, squeeze, squelch
compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
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cranch, craunch, crunch, grind
press or grind with a crushing noise
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bear down, bear down on, drag down, press down on, weigh down
exert a force with a heavy weight
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nab
tag the base runner to get him out
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knuckle
press or rub with the knuckles
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push
press against forcefully without moving
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glance
hit at an angle
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perceive via the tactile sense“Helen Keller felt the physical world by touching people and objects around her”
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type of:
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comprehend, perceive
become aware of through the senses
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comprehend, perceive
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cause to be in brief contact with“He touched his toes to the horse's flanks”
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be in direct physical contact with; make contact“The two buildings touch”“Their hands touched”
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cover, spread over
form a cover over
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adhere, cleave, cling, cohere, stick
come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
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chafe, fray, fret, rub, scratch
cause friction
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attach
be attached; be in contact with
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hug
fit closely or tightly
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abut, adjoin, border, butt, butt against, butt on, edge, march
lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
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border, environ, ring, skirt, surround
extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle
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lean against, lean on, rest on
rest on for support
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flood
cover with liquid, usually water
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bloody
cover with blood
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mist, mist over
become covered with mist
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glaciate
cover with ice or snow or a glacier
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strew
cover; be dispersed over
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grass, grass over
cover with grass
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mold
fit tightly, follow the contours of
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conglutinate
stick together
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agglutinate
clump together; as of bacteria, red blood cells, etc.
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cake, coat
form a coat over
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drown, overwhelm, submerge
cover completely or make imperceptible
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leech onto
admire boundlessly and follow around
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fringe
decorate with or as if with a surrounding fringe
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gird, girdle
put a girdle on or around
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cloister
surround with a cloister
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close in, enclose, inclose, shut in
surround completely
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mantle
cover like a mantle
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hem in
surround in a restrictive manner
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cloak, clothe, drape, robe
cover as if with clothing
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neighbor, neighbour
be located near or adjacent to
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cloister
surround with a cloister, as of a garden
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blanket
form a blanket-like cover (over)
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carpet
form a carpet-like cover (over)
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smother
form an impenetrable cover over
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shroud
form a cover like a shroud
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to extend as far as
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types:
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reach into
run into or up to
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type of:
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be
occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere
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reach into
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be equal to in quality or ability
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tamper with
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consume
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the faculty by which external objects or forces are perceived through contact with the body (especially the hands)“only sight and touch enable us to locate objects in the space around us”
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synonyms:
cutaneous senses, sense of touch, skin senses, touch modality
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type of:
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exteroception
sensitivity to stimuli originating outside of the body
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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
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exteroception
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the sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin“she likes the touch of silk on her skin”
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synonyms:
feeling, tactile sensation, tactual sensation, touch sensation
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creepiness
an uneasy sensation as of insects creeping on your skin
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cutaneous sensation, haptic sensation, skin sensation
a sensation localized on the skin
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tickle
a cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking
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itch, itchiness, itching
an irritating cutaneous sensation that produces a desire to scratch
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topognosia, topognosis
recognition of the location of a stimulus on the skin
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urtication
a sensation of having been stung by nettles
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type of:
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perception
the process of perceiving
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the event of something coming in contact with the body
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the act of putting two things together with no space between them“at his touch the room filled with lights”
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synonyms:
touching
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types:
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contact, physical contact
the act of touching physically
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dab, pat, tap
a light touch or stroke
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hit, hitting, striking
the act of contacting one thing with another
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dig, jab
the act of touching someone suddenly with your finger or elbow
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kiss
a light glancing touch
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buss, kiss, osculation
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
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catch, grab, snap, snatch
the act of catching an object with the hands
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handling, manipulation
the action of touching with the hands (or the skillful use of the hands) or by the use of mechanical means
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fingering
touching something with the fingers
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grope
the act of groping; and instance of groping
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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)
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tickle, tickling, titillation
the act of tickling
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stroke, stroking
a light touch with the hands
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tag
(sports) the act of touching a player in a game (which changes their status in the game)
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lap, lick
touching with the tongue
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grazing, shaving, skimming
the act of brushing against while passing
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rub, wipe
the act of rubbing or wiping
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contusion
the action of bruising
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crash, smash
the act of colliding with something
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fielding
(baseball) handling the ball while playing in the field
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fair ball
(baseball) a ball struck with the bat so that it stays between the lines (the foul lines) that define the width of the playing field
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snick
a glancing contact with the ball off the edge of the cricket bat
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bunt
(baseball) the act of hitting a baseball lightly without swinging the bat
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fly, fly ball
(baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
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ground ball, groundball, grounder, hopper
(baseball) a hit that travels along the ground
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header
(soccer) the act of hitting the ball with your head
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scorcher, screamer
a very hard hit ball
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plunk, plunker
(baseball) hitting a baseball so that it drops suddenly
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laying on
the act of contacting something with your hand
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smack, smooch
an enthusiastic kiss
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French kiss, deep kiss, soul kiss
an openmouthed kiss in which your tongue is inserted into the other's mouth
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fair catch
(American football) a catch of a punt on the fly by a defensive player who has signalled that he will not run and so should not be tackled
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interception
(American football) the act of catching a football by a player on the opposing team
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reception
(American football) the act of catching a pass in football
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rebound
the act of securing possession of the rebounding basketball after a missed shot
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shoestring catch
(baseball) a running catch made near the ground
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interlock, interlocking, mesh, meshing
the act of interlocking or meshing
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ballottement
a palpatory technique for feeling a floating object in the body (especially for determining the position of a fetus by feeling the rebound of the fetus after a quick digital tap on the wall of the uterus)
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caress
a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it)
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type of:
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act, deed, human action, human activity
something that people do or cause to happen
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the feel of mechanical action“this piano has a wonderful touch”
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type of:
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feel, tactile property
a property perceived by touch
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feel, tactile property
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a communicative interaction“he got in touch with his colleagues”
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synonyms:
contact
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type of:
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communicating, communication
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
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communicating, communication
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affect emotionally
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have an effect upon
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strike a blow
affect adversely
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repercuss
cause repercussions; have an unwanted effect
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tell on
produce an effect or strain on somebody
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redound
have an effect for good or ill
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excite, stimulate
act as a stimulant
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process, treat
subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
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hydrolise, hydrolize
make a compound react with water and undergo hydrolysis
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color, colour, distort, tinge
affect as in thought or feeling
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endanger, expose, peril, queer, scupper
put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position
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hit, strike
affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely
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subject
cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to
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bother, discommode, disoblige, incommode, inconvenience, put out, trouble
cause inconvenience or discomfort to
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act upon, influence, work
have and exert influence or effect
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slam-dunk
make a forceful move against
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propagate
cause to propagate, as by grafting or layering
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bacterise, bacterize
subject to the action of bacteria
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iodise, iodize
treat with iodine
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nitrate
treat with nitric acid, so as to change an organic compound into a nitrate
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tank
treat in a tank
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aerate, oxygenate, oxygenise, oxygenize
impregnate, combine, or supply with oxygen
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mercerise, mercerize
treat to strengthen and improve the luster
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malt
treat with malt or malt extract
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fluoridate, fluoridise, fluoridize
subject to fluoridation; treat with fluoride
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creosote
treat with creosote
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chlorinate
treat or combine with chlorine
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carbonate
treat with carbon dioxide
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camphorate
treat with camphor
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bromate, brominate
treat with bromine
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ammoniate
treat with ammonia
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irradiate, ray
expose to radiation
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scald
treat with boiling water
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invigorate, quicken
give life or energy to
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refine
treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition
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innervate
stimulate to action
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irritate
excite to some characteristic action or condition, such as motion, contraction, or nervous impulse, by the application of a stimulus
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nitrify, nitrogenise, nitrogenize
treat with nitrogen or a nitrogen compound
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reverberate
treat, process, heat, melt, or refine in a reverberatory furnace
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curry
treat by incorporating fat
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seed
sprinkle with silver iodide particles to disperse and cause rain
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dose
treat with an agent; add (an agent) to
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sulfur, sulphur
treat with sulphur in order to preserve
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vulcanise, vulcanize
subject to vulcanization
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chrome
treat with a chromium compound
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bituminise, bituminize
treat with bitumen
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Agenise, Agenize
age or bleach flour with Agene (nitrogen trichloride)
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run
cause to perform
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carboxylate
treat (a chemical compound) with carboxyl or carboxylic acid
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saccharify
convert into a simple soluble fermentable sugar by hydrolyzing a sugar derivative or complex carbohydrate
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beneficiate
process (ores or other raw materials), as by reduction
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prejudice, prepossess
influence (somebody's) opinion in advance
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compromise
expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute
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digest
convert food into absorbable substances
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vitriol
expose to the effects of vitriol or injure with vitriol
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put
cause (someone) to undergo something
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shipwreck
cause to experience shipwreck
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refract
subject to refraction
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expose
expose or make accessible to some action or influence
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expose
expose to light, of photographic film
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fume, fumigate
treat with fumes, expose to fumes, especially with the aim of disinfecting or eradicating pests
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air-condition
control the humidity and temperature of
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form, imprint
establish or impress firmly in the mind
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militate
have force or influence; bring about an effect or change
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manipulate, pull strings, pull wires
influence or control shrewdly or deviously
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color, colour
modify or bias
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swing, swing over
influence decisively
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blackjack, blackmail, pressure
exert pressure on someone through threats
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carry, persuade, sway
win approval or support for
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get at
influence by corruption
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fix
influence an event or its outcome by illegal means
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distress, straiten
bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship
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dominate
be in control
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incur
make oneself subject to; bring upon oneself; become liable to
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color lightly
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a slight but appreciable amount
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a suggestion of some quality“there was a touch of sarcasm in his tone”
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types:
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tang
a suggestion of some quality
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type of:
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proffer, proposition, suggestion
a proposal offered for acceptance or rejection
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tang
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a slight attack of illness
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a distinguishing style
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deftness in handling matters“he has a master's touch”
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types:
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capstone, copestone, finishing touch
a final touch; a crowning achievement; a culmination
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type of:
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adeptness, adroitness, deftness, facility, quickness
skillful performance or ability without difficulty
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capstone, copestone, finishing touch
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be relevant to
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center, center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about, revolve around
center upon
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apply, go for, hold
be pertinent or relevant or applicable
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affect, involve, regard
connect closely and often incriminatingly
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interest, matter to
be of importance or consequence to
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implicate
bring into intimate and incriminating connection
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fascinate, intrigue
cause to be interested or curious
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deal with; usually used with a form of negation
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make a more or less disguised reference to
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comprehend“He could not touch the meaning of the poem”
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type of:
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understand
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
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understand
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the act of soliciting money (as a gift or loan)
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type of:
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solicitation
an entreaty addressed to someone of superior status
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solicitation
Pronunciation
US
/tətʃ/
UK
/tətʃ/
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