Did you know that the word ‘touch’ can also mean ‘communicate’?
While ‘touch’ can have different meanings, it is often used in phrases and idioms talking about contact or communication. Below are some of the most popular ones.
Keep in touch
This means to stay in contact with someone and to regularly communicate with them. This can mean communicating in person, by text/email, or by telephone. For example, at the end of a conversation, we often say ‘Let’s keep in touch’ when we want to continue communicating with the person later. The phrase ‘stay in touch’ has the same meaning.
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Out of touch
This means to not communicate with someone for a period of time so we don’t know what’s happening with them. Maybe it’s someone we usually communicate with but haven’t communicated with lately. For example, ‘Sam and I have been out of touch for a few years, so I’m not sure what he’s doing.’ This phrase can also mean to not be knowledgeable about recent events or news. For example, ‘You didn’t know the Olympics were on? You’re so out of touch!’
Lose touch
This means to not communicate with someone for a longer period of time. It doesn’t mean we haven’t wanted to communicate with them, it just means we haven’t had a chance to, or we don’t how to contact them anymore. For example, ‘Susan and I lost touch after graduating from university.’ But, be careful, ‘Lose your touch’ has a different meaning. It means to be bad at something you used to be good at. For example, ‘I think Bob has lost his touch. He used to be a great tennis player.’
Get in touch
This simply means to contact someone. It might be by meeting directly, texting, emailing or telephoning. It’s a more informal and friendly way of saying ‘contact.’ For example, ‘Let’s get in touch after I come back from London.’ But, be careful not to say ‘get a touch’ or ‘get the touch.’ Then the listener might think you want to physically touch them!
Touch base
This means to contact someone again to get a quick update on recent news or developments. It’s also often used in business when we don’t want to schedule a formal meeting. For example, ‘I just wanted to briefly touch base with you. How’s the project going?’
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