retouch

UK: /riːˈtʌtʃ/

US: /v. riˈtʌtʃ; n. ˈriˌtʌtʃ, riˈtʌtʃ/

US: (v. rē tuch′; n. rē′tuch′, rē tuch′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

re•touch /v. riˈtʌtʃ; n. ˈriˌtʌtʃ, riˈtʌtʃ/   v. [~ + object]

1. to improve with new touches;
   touch up.
2. Photography to change (a photograph) after development by adding or removing lines, lightening areas, etc.

n. [countable]

3. an added touch to a picture, painting, etc.
4. an act or instance of retouching.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

re•touch  (v. rē tuch′;n. rē′tuch′, rē tuch′), v.t. 

1. to improve with new touches, highlights, or the like;
   touch up or rework, as a painting or makeup.
2. Photography to alter (a negative or positive) after development by adding or removing lines, lightening areas, etc., with a pencil, brush, or knife.
3. to dye, tint, or bleach (a new growth of hair) to match or blend with the color of an earlier and previously dyed growth.

n. 

4. an added touch to a picture, painting, paint job, etc., by way of improvement or alteration.
5. an act or instance of dyeing new growth of hair to blend with previously dyed hair.

• Middle French retoucher, equivalent. to re- re- + toucher to touch
• 1675–85

re•touch′a•ble, adj. 
re•touch′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

retouch / riːˈtʌtʃ/ verb (transitive)

1. to restore, correct, or improve (a painting, make-up, etc) with new touches
2. to alter (a negative or print) by painting over blemishes or adding details

noun

1. the art or practice of retouching
2. a detail that is the result of retouching
3. a photograph, painting, etc, that has been retouched

reˈtoucher noun