SINCE 1828
waterboarding
noun
wa·ter·board·ing
| \ ˈwȯ-tər-ˌbȯr-diŋ
, ˈwä-\
, ˈwä-\
Definition of waterboarding
: an interrogation technique usually regarded as a form of torture in which water is forced into a detainee's mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning
Examples of waterboarding in a Sentence
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In late 2002, Haspel oversaw a secret facility in Thailand where 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 An undercover officer for most of her CIA career, Haspel in 2002 served as CIA station chief in Thailand, where the agency conducted interrogations at a secret prison using methods including waterboarding. — Patricia Zengerle, Anchorage Daily News, "Senate confirms Haspel to be first woman CIA director," 17 May 2018 McCain voted against the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts and spoke out against the waterboarding techniques used after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks—Mr. — Siobhan Hughes, WSJ, "Sen. John McCain, a War Hero Who Became a Political Heavyweight, Dies at 81," 25 Aug. 2018 Haspel was in charge of one of the CIA’s ‘black site’ prisons where detainees were subjected to waterboarding and other harrowing interrogation measures widely condemned as torture. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Pennsylvania special election shows GOP still hasn’t found a winning midterms message," 14 Mar. 2018 Kennedy said that waterboarding is not torture and just an uncomfortable experience. — Lukas Mikelionis, Fox News, "Green Beret waterboards himself in support of Trump's CIA pick Gina Haspel," 14 May 2018 Haspel also advocated for and wrote a cable ordering the shredding of 92 tapes showing waterboarding and other harsh interrogations, according to a memoir written by the former general counsel for the CIA. — Liz Goodwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump CIA pick faces rocky confirmation over torture role," 17 Apr. 2018 Newsletter Sign-up The administration of George W. Bush determined that waterboarding, a technique that simulates drowning, didn’t meet the definition of torture. — Nancy A. Youssef, WSJ, "CIA Pick Haspel: Agency Won’t Go Back to Post-9/11 Interrogation Tactics," 9 May 2018 In it, the Bridges character, a victim of mistaken identity, has his head jammed in a toilet by criminals, a pre-9/11 Hollywood version of waterboarding. — Carol Rosenberg, miamiherald, "A freed Guantánamo prisoner and his ex-guard meet again in remarkable Ramadan reunion," 11 June 2018These 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.
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