tortured; torturing
ˈtȯrch-riŋ 
ˈtȯr-chə-
1
: to cause intense suffering to : torment
2
: to punish or coerce by inflicting excruciating pain
Synonyms
Examples of torture in a Sentence
Noun
Waiting is just torture for me.
Listening to him can be torture.
Verb
The report revealed that prisoners had been repeatedly tortured.
Don't torture yourself over the mistake.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024
The judge’s ruling also noted that Assange could be stuck in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day while awaiting trial in the U.S., a punishment widely considered by other wealthy countries to be torture.
—Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
The vast majority of asylum claims — in which immigrants claim fear of persecution or torture if they are removed to their home countries — in recent years have been defensive claims.
—Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
Garland balances this punchy tone with shockingly gory images of torture, lynchings, bodies in the streets, mass graves, firing squads.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
Polls have consistently shown a broad lack of enthusiasm about a Biden-Trump matchup, which many equate to a choice between torture on the rack and being drawn and quartered.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Cuatro pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and torture charges and will face 32 years to life in prison, while Juarez pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and torture and will face 22 years to life in prison, the outlets reported.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
In 1999, the Israeli Supreme Court stepped in after pleas from human rights organizations and ruled that torture of Palestinians at the hands of Shin Bet, the country’s domestic security agency, was generally prohibited.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
The most common methods of torture include beatings, electric shocks, threats of execution, mock executions and positional torture.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
The lawsuit alleges that CACI is liable for the three plaintiffs' mistreatment because the company provided civilian interrogators to the Army who were assigned to Abu Ghraib and conspired with the military police who were serving as prison guards to torture the inmates.
—Matthew Barakat, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
The show heightens the idea that this story is being told under duress, as a confession tortured out of The Captain, who is under interrogation in a communist reeducation camp back in Vietnam.
—Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Fox was the former owner of the home, where Cuevas-Ingram was allegedly held against her will, tortured and killed, Sanguedolce said.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
The six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who last month were handed yearslong federal prison sentences for torturing two Black men were each sentenced to more than a decade in prison in state court Wednesday.
—USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Modus operandi Cases like the Sanchez murder are common in Venezuela, where gang members often abduct victims suspected of having secret fortunes and torture them in order to gain access to the hidden wealth.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Then came a reckoning. Dec. 5, 2023 What home schooling hides: A boy tortured and starved by his stepmom
Dec. 2, 2023
Their sons’ lives ended in gunfire.
—Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Crackdown on Protests: U.N. investigators said that the Iranian authorities killed, tortured and raped many in their brutal repression of protests that erupted over the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.
—Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Trina Mae Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of child torture, one count of child neglect—deprivation of food and health care, one count of child endangerment, and one count of assault on a minor with a dangerous weapon, officials said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024
The judge’s ruling also noted that Assange could be stuck in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day while awaiting trial in the U.S., a punishment widely considered by other wealthy countries to be torture.
—Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
The vast majority of asylum claims — in which immigrants claim fear of persecution or torture if they are removed to their home countries — in recent years have been defensive claims.
—Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
Garland balances this punchy tone with shockingly gory images of torture, lynchings, bodies in the streets, mass graves, firing squads.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
Polls have consistently shown a broad lack of enthusiasm about a Biden-Trump matchup, which many equate to a choice between torture on the rack and being drawn and quartered.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Cuatro pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and torture charges and will face 32 years to life in prison, while Juarez pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and torture and will face 22 years to life in prison, the outlets reported.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
In 1999, the Israeli Supreme Court stepped in after pleas from human rights organizations and ruled that torture of Palestinians at the hands of Shin Bet, the country’s domestic security agency, was generally prohibited.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
The most common methods of torture include beatings, electric shocks, threats of execution, mock executions and positional torture.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
He was rendered deaf and mute after being tortured.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
The lawsuit alleges that CACI is liable for the three plaintiffs' mistreatment because the company provided civilian interrogators to the Army who were assigned to Abu Ghraib and conspired with the military police who were serving as prison guards to torture the inmates.
—Matthew Barakat, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
The show heightens the idea that this story is being told under duress, as a confession tortured out of The Captain, who is under interrogation in a communist reeducation camp back in Vietnam.
—Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Fox was the former owner of the home, where Cuevas-Ingram was allegedly held against her will, tortured and killed, Sanguedolce said.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
The six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who last month were handed yearslong federal prison sentences for torturing two Black men were each sentenced to more than a decade in prison in state court Wednesday.
—USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Modus operandi Cases like the Sanchez murder are common in Venezuela, where gang members often abduct victims suspected of having secret fortunes and torture them in order to gain access to the hidden wealth.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Then came a reckoning. Dec. 5, 2023 What home schooling hides: A boy tortured and starved by his stepmom
Dec. 2, 2023
Their sons’ lives ended in gunfire.
—Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Crackdown on Protests: U.N. investigators said that the Iranian authorities killed, tortured and raped many in their brutal repression of protests that erupted over the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.
—Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'torture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torture. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
torture
1 of 2 noun
tor·ture
ˈtȯr-chər
1
: distress of body or mind
2
: the causing of great pain especially to punish or to obtain a confession
torture
2 of 2 verb
tortured; torturing
ˈtȯrch-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to cause great suffering to
2
: to punish or force someone to do or say something by causing great pain
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