TOUCH ON

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does touch on mean? 

• TOUCH ON (verb)
  The verb TOUCH ON has 4 senses:

1. refer to or discuss briefly

2. be relevant to

3. restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken

4. have an effect upon

  Familiarity information: TOUCH ON used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TOUCH ON (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Refer to or discuss briefly

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "touch on" is one way to...):

advert; bring up; cite; mention; name; refer (make reference to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be relevant to

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

bear on; come to; concern; have to do with; pertain; refer; relate; touch; touch on

Context example:

My remark pertained to your earlier comments

Verb group:

advert; allude; touch (make a more or less disguised reference to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "touch on"):

center; center on; concentrate on; focus on; revolve about; revolve around (center upon)

apply; go for; hold (be pertinent or relevant or applicable)

affect; involve; regard (connect closely and often incriminatingly)

interest; matter to (be of importance or consequence)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

bushel; doctor; fix; furbish up; mend; repair; restore; touch on

Context example:

Repair my shoes please

Hypernyms (to "touch on" is one way to...):

ameliorate; amend; better; improve; meliorate (to make better)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "touch on"):

fiddle; tinker (try to fix or mend)

darn (repair by sewing)

heel; reheel (put a new heel on)

revamp; vamp (provide (a shoe) with a new vamp)

resole; sole (put a new sole on)

patch; patch up (mend by putting a patch on)

trouble-shoot; troubleshoot (solve problems)

point; repoint (repair the joints of bricks)

cobble (repair or mend)

patch; piece (repair by adding pieces)

fill (plug with a substance)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Have an effect upon

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

affect; bear on; bear upon; impact; touch; touch on

Context example:

Will the new rules affect me?

Hypernyms (to "touch on" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "touch on"):

repercuss (cause repercussions; have an unwanted effect)

strike a blow (affect adversely)

slam-dunk (make a forceful move against)

act upon; influence; work (have and exert influence or effect)

bother; discommode; disoblige; incommode; inconvenience; put out; trouble (to cause inconvenience or discomfort to)

subject (cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to)

hit; strike (affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely)

endanger; expose; peril; queer; scupper (put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position)

color; colour; distort; tinge (affect as in thought or feeling)

hydrolise; hydrolize (make a compound react with water and undergo hydrolysis)

process; treat (subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition)

excite; stimulate (act as a stimulant)

redound (have an effect for good or ill)

tell on (produce an effect or strain on somebody)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

Let all things which touch on others dear to us, and who on us depend, be complete; for none of us can tell what, or when, or how, the end may be.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

“Hast a rare touch on the strings.”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Those with a nerve injury were more sensitive to touch on their hindpaws than the sham controls.

(Opioid Pain Relievers May Prolong Pain, NIH)

From such a moralizing strain as this, she was suddenly roused by a touch on the shoulder, and turning round, perceived Mrs. Hughes directly behind her, attended by Miss Tilney and a gentleman.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

They talked for a few minutes more; the improvement held; he even looked down towards the bench, as if he saw a place on it well worth occupying; when at that moment a touch on her shoulder obliged Anne to turn round.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)