noun

arch

ahch

noun

A curved structure that spans an opening, typically supporting the weight above it.

"They walked through the stone arch into the courtyard."

"The bridge is held up by a single steel arch."

verb

To bend into a curved shape.

"The cat arched its back when the dog appeared."

adj

Deliberately playful, knowing, or mischievous, often in tone or expression.

"She gave an arch smile that suggested she knew more than she was saying."

Chief or foremost, used as a prefix in words like "archenemy" or "archbishop".

"He was cast as the hero's arch rival."

How to Use Arch

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA curved structural shape, the act of curving something, or (as an adjective) knowingly playful or foremost.

Common pairings

stone arch arch enemy arch smile arch one's back

archer comparative, arched past tense, arches plural, arches plural, arches plural, arches singular, archest superlative

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From Old French arche, a feminine form of arc, from Latin arcus, "a bow, arc, or arch".

march perch torch birch porch lurch merch church search starch scorch monarch