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torture

n. · v.
US //ˈtɔɹtʃɝ// UK //tˈɔːtʃɐ// tor·ture
  1. 1 inflicting pain (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Law

    the act of causing someone great physical or mental pain, often to force them to tell a secret.

    the deliberate infliction of severe physical or psychological pain, typically as a means of coercion, interrogation, or punishment.

    Example

    The international treaty strictly forbids the use of torture against prisoners.

    Example

    Human rights organisations documented systemic torture within the military prison, citing evidence of both physical violence and sleep deprivation.
  2. 2 mental suffering (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    a feeling of great unhappiness or worry.

    intense mental or emotional anguish; a state of extreme distress.

    Example

    Waiting for the hospital results was pure torture for the family.

    Example

    The protagonist endured the torture of regret for years, unable to forgive himself for the choices he made in his youth.
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  1. 3 an unpleasant experience (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Humorous

    something that is very annoying, boring, or difficult to do.

    an experience that is highly unpleasant, tedious, or irritating, often used for hyperbolic effect.

    Example

    Sitting through that three-hour meeting was absolute torture.

    Example

    For a professional athlete used to constant movement, being confined to a hospital bed for a month was nothing short of torture.
  2. 4 to cause pain (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to hurt someone badly on purpose, usually to get information.

    to intentionally inflict severe pain or suffering on a person or animal.

    Example

    The dictator was accused of using the secret police to torture his enemies.

    Example

    The regime was condemned by the United Nations for its decision to torture political dissidents in an attempt to suppress the uprising.

    Usage

    This verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
    • victimize
    • mistreat
Origin

From Middle English torture, from Old French torture, from Late Latin tortūra (“a twisting, writhing, of bodily pain, a griping colic;” in Medieval Latin “pain inflicted by judicial or ecclesiastical authority as a means of persuasion, torture”), from Latin tortus (whence also tort), past participle of torquēre (“to twist”).

Idioms1 entry

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