Torture definition and meaning
Torture definition: If someone is tortured , another person deliberately causes them great pain over a period… | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples
Definition of ’torture’
torture
(
t
ɔ
rtʃər
)
Word forms:
tortures
,
torturing
,
tortured
1.
transitive verb
is tortured
, another person deliberately causes them
terrible
pain over a period of time, in order to punish them or to make them reveal information.
Despite being tortured she proclaimed her innocence.
2.
transitive verb
torture
someone means to cause them to suffer mental pain or anxiety.
He would not torture her further by trying to argue with her.
torture
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary
. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of torture
torture
in American English
(
ˈtɔrtʃər
)
noun
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Rare
verb transitive
Word forms:
ˈtortured
or
ˈtorturing
6.
7.
8.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
torturer
(
ˈtorturer
)
noun
torturous
(
ˈtorturous
)
adjective
torturously
(
ˈtorturously
)
adverb
Fr < LL
tortura
, a twisting, torture < pp. of L
torquere
, to twist: see
tort
torture
in British English
(
ˈtɔːtʃə
)
verb
(
transitive
)
1.
2.
3.
noun
4.
5.
6.
▶ USAGE
The adjective
torturous
is sometimes confused with
tortuous.
One speaks of a
torturous
experience, i.e. one that involves pain or suffering, but of a
tortuous
road, i.e. one that winds or twists
Collins English Dictionary
. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
tortured
(
ˈtortured
)
adjective
torturedly
(
ˈtorturedly
)
adverb
torturer
(
ˈtorturer
)
noun
torturesome
(
ˈtorturesome
)
or
torturous
(
ˈtorturous
)
adjective
torturing
(
ˈtorturing
)
adjective
torturingly
(
ˈtorturingly
)
adverb
torturously
(
ˈtorturously
)
adverb
C16: from Late Latin
tortūra
a twisting, from
torquēre
to twist
Synonyms of ‘torture’
torture
Trends of torture
View usage over:
In other languages torture
British English
:
ˈtɔːtʃə
/
NOUN
torture
, another person deliberately causes them great pain, in order to punish them or make them reveal information.
American English
:
ˈtɔrtʃər
/
Arabic
:
تَعْذِيب
Brazilian Portuguese
:
tortura
Chinese
:
Croatian
:
mučenje
Czech
:
mučení
Danish
:
tortur
Dutch
:
marteling
European Spanish
:
Finnish
:
kidutus
French
:
German
:
Greek
:
βασανιστήριο
Italian
:
Japanese
:
拷問
Korean
:
고문
Norwegian
:
tortur
Polish
:
tortury
European Portuguese
:
Romanian
:
tortură
Russian
:
пытка
Spanish
:
Swedish
:
tortyr
Thai
:
การทรมาน
Turkish
:
işkence
Ukrainian
:
тортури
Vietnamese
:
sự tra tấn
British English
:
ˈtɔːtʃə
/
VERB
is tortured
, another person deliberately causes them great pain over a period of time, in order to punish them or to make them reveal information.
American English
:
ˈtɔrtʃər
/
Arabic
:
يُعَذِّبُ
Brazilian Portuguese
:
torturar
Chinese
:
刑讯逼供
Croatian
:
mučiti
Czech
:
mučit
Danish
:
torturere
Dutch
:
martelen
European Spanish
:
Finnish
:
kiduttaa
French
:
German
:
Greek
:
βασανίζω
Italian
:
Japanese
:
拷問にかける
Korean
:
고문하다
Norwegian
:
torturere
Polish
:
torturować
European Portuguese
:
Romanian
:
a tortura
Russian
:
пытать
Spanish
:
Swedish
:
tortera
Thai
:
ทรมาน
Turkish
:
işkence etmek
Ukrainian
:
катувати
Vietnamese
:
tra tấn
Nearby words of torture
Related terms of torture
Source
torture
from the
Collins English Dictionary
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?
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