: a wrongful act other than a breach of contract for which relief may be obtained in the form of damages or an injunction

Did you know?

Tort came into English straight from French many centuries ago, and it still looks a little odd. Its root meaning of "twisted" (as opposed to "straight") obviously came to mean "wrong" (as opposed to "right"). Every first-year law student takes a course in the important subject of torts. Torts include all the so-called "product-liability" cases, against manufacturers of cars, household products, children's toys, and so on. They also cover dog bites, slander and libel, and a huge variety of other very personal cases of injury, both mental and physical—Torts class is never dull. If you're sued for a tort and lose, you usually have to pay "damages"—that is, a sum of money—to the person who you wronged.

Examples of tort in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Viceroy Preferred Insurance and Vision Insurance Exchange marked the 15th and 16th private insurers to enter the Florida property insurance market since state lawmakers introduced sweeping tort reform in 2022 and 2023, addressing excessive litigation and widespread fraud. Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025 The suit, which was filed in the Superior Court of Washington for Kings County, is the first personal tort suit to be brought against big oil companies for personal loss—with Misti’s legal team seeking direct compensation for a wrongful death. Simmone Shah, Time, 26 Aug. 2025 Mass tort settlements are often larger than class actions. Jeff Kauflin, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025 Bass’ legal team is expected to respond within 45 days to Crowley’s tort claim, according to a Crowley spokesperson. Michael Loria, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tort

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, injury, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin tortum, from Latin, neuter of tortus twisted, from past participle of torquēre

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tort was in 1586

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Cite this Entry

“Tort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tort. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Legal Definition

tort

noun
: a wrongful act other than a breach of contract that injures another and for which the law imposes civil liability : a violation of a duty (as to exercise due care) imposed by law as distinguished from contract for which damages or declaratory relief (as an injunction) may be obtained
also : a cause of action based on such an act
the court declined to recognize the tort National Law Journal
cannot sue in tort
compare crime, delict
Etymology

Anglo-French, wrongful or illegal act, from Old French, injury, from Medieval Latin tortum, from Latin, neuter of tortus twisted, from past participle of torquēre to twist

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