MEANING
1. To burn or injure with very hot liquid or steam; also, to heat a liquid nearly to boiling.
2. To bring a liquid close to boiling, especially in cooking or preparation.
Use it for
Use for injury caused by very hot liquid or steam.Make heat feel immediate through its effect on skin or material.
Words that belong together
- scald the skin
- scalding steam
- scalding liquid
- scald milk
- scald cream
- scald the liquid
On the page
Steam scalded the paint from the pipe before the warning light came on.
He scalded the cream before stirring in the bitter herbs.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- scald
- Past tense
- scalded
- Past participle
- scalded
- Present participle
- scalding
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- scald
- Present continuous
- am/is/are scalding
- Present perfect
- have/has scalded
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been scalding
- Past
- scalded
- Past continuous
- was/were scalding
- Past perfect
- had scalded
- Past perfect continuous
- had been scalding
- Future
- will scald
- Future continuous
- will be scalding
- Future perfect
- will have scalded
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been scalding
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
The injury sense usually involves hot liquid or steam; a separate cooking sense means heating a liquid nearly to boiling. Sense 2: In cooking, scald means controlled heating; it does not imply an accidental injury.
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