waterboarding

noun wa·ter·board·ing \ ˈwȯ-tər-ˌbȯr-diŋ , ˈwä- \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of waterboarding

: an interrogation technique in which water is forced into a detainee's mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning

Recent Examples of waterboarding from the Web

In late 2002, Haspel oversaw a secret facility in Thailand where al-Nashiri was subjected to waterboarding and other tactics.

— alan cowell and charlie savage, miamiherald, "Lithuania and Romania complicit in CIA prisons, European court says," 1 June 2018
The Fairfield parents who allegedly tortured their 10 children are accused of waterboarding, shooting crossbows and BB guns at them and using scalding water to inflict pain, according to a new filing released Wednesday.

— rachel swan, San Francisco Chronicle, "Fairfield parents accused of waterboarding, scalding their children," 16 May 2018
Suspected terrorists at the site were subjected to torture techniques, including waterboarding, media outlets report.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "'It's not torture.' Green Beret lets himself be waterboarded to support CIA nominee | Charlotte Observer," 12 May 2018
Haspel also explained her role in ordering the destruction of dozens of videotapes in 2005 that showed the brutal interrogation of a detainee, including waterboarding.

— liz goodwin, BostonGlobe.com, "CIA pick Haspel says she won’t ‘judge’ whether waterboarding was wrong," 9 May 2018
The video of his waterboarding has been viewed nearly 200,000 times in recent days.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "'It's not torture.' Green Beret lets himself be waterboarded to support CIA nominee | Charlotte Observer," 12 May 2018
At the time, waterboarding was among the enhanced interrogation techniques authorized by the Bush administration, a response to fear of continuing attacks after 911.

— edmund h. mahony, courant.com, "U.S. Attorney For Connecticut Durham's Secret Report Part Of Debate On CIA Nominee Haspel," 10 May 2018
More specifically, Haspel oversaw a secret CIA detention facility in Thailand in 2002, and later was involved in the agency's destruction of nearly 100 videotapes recording the waterboarding of two suspects there.

— howard kurtz, Fox News, "Trump's CIA pick attacked over Bush-era program; do gender politics matter?," 8 May 2018
The problem came to a head Friday afternoon when she was summoned to the White House for some urgent questions, particularly on her role in the use of waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Gina Haspel, nominee to head CIA, sought to withdraw over questions about her role in agency interrogation program," 6 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'waterboarding.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.