torture
Americannoun
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tortures
plural
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the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.
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a method of inflicting such pain.
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Often tortures. the pain or suffering caused or undergone.
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extreme anguish of body or mind; agony.
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a cause of severe pain or anguish.
verb (used with object)
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tortures,
present (3rd person singular)
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tortured,
past participle, past
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torturing
present participle
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to subject to torture.
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to afflict with severe pain of body or mind.
My back is torturing me.
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to force or extort by torture.
We'll torture the truth from his lips!
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to twist, force, or bring into some unnatural position or form.
trees tortured by storms.
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to distort or pervert (language, meaning, etc.).
verb
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to cause extreme physical pain to, esp in order to extract information, break resistance, etc
to torture prisoners
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to give mental anguish to
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to twist into a grotesque form
noun
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physical or mental anguish
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the practice of torturing a person
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a cause of mental agony or worry
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
Synonym Usage
See torment.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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pretorturenoun
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self-torturenoun
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torturernoun
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overtortureverb (used with object)
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self-torturedadjective
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self-torturingadjective
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torturableadjective
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torturedadjective
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torturesomeadjective
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torturingadjective
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untorturedadjective
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torturedlyadverb
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torturinglyadverb
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torturouslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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torturesimple
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torturessimple
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have torturedperfect
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has torturedperfect
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am torturingprogressive
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are torturingprogressive
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is torturingprogressive
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have been torturingperfect progressive
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has been torturingperfect progressive
Past
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torturedsimple
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had torturedperfect
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was torturingprogressive
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were torturingprogressive
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had been torturingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of torture
First recorded in 1530–40, torture is from the Late Latin word tortūra a twisting, torment, torture. See tort, -ure
Explanation
To torture is to torment or purposefully put someone through intense pain or agony. The word torture comes from the word for "harm." It can refer to the deliberate infliction of physical or mental suffering in order to punish or obtain information; the act of distorting something, so it means something it wasn't intended to mean; or extreme mental distress or unbearable physical pain not necessarily inflicted by another.
Vocabulary lists containing torture
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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Twists and Turns: Tor
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That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Amnesty International, which is supporting the couple, says they could face a "real risk" of detention, prosecution, imprisonment and torture if returned.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
That’s why stories about AI bots being put into virtual torture chambers aren’t just silly, but foregrounds the false notion that AI is capable of suffering.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Citizenship and Immigration Services — as a cause for hope, while others saw it as prolonged mental torture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
But in Rogers’ case, Trump opted not to torture him over his history of negative comments.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
On the other side of me, a figure swaddled in a blanket slept soundly in a chair that looked like it had been designed by a torture expert.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
Open is often regarded as the most challenging of the four majors, and there isn’t a host that tortures the world’s best players quite like Shinnecock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Yet, Paltrow makes it look like easy lifting, as if dodging the universe’s cerebral tortures were as low-effort as the #BoyfriendBreakfasts she’s taken to posting on Instagram.
From Salon ● Dec. 22, 2025
“Have the merciless persecutions and unutterable tortures of the dark ages not yet opened their eyes and enlarged their heart for the alleviation of their fellow men’s woes?”
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2025
I left them, so that’s what tortures me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025
“Well, well. Won't Susan and Sandra like to hear about this. Their mother tortures an old lady so much that the girls are in danger of losing all of their cardigans and culottes.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
This year alone, Hathaway has repeatedly proven her versatility, jumping between gun-toting moms, tortured pop stars and struggling journalists.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Last weekend, a "Saturday Night Live" sketch cast him as a tortured figure, barely masking his dread of AI.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Three Egyptian security officials have been convicted by a Rome court over the kidnapping of an Italian student whose tortured body was found in Cairo a decade ago.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
It was a love triangle that would change music history: the great and tortured Robert Schumann; his virtuoso wife, Clara; and a young, unknown Johannes Brahms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Under the doors of the castle the piercing blasts tortured the flapping rushes of the floors.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
But the strangest thing about the disastrous trade that nobody saw coming is that it might not be through torturing the Celtics just yet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
It can be a year away, and it’s right here torturing me, which is I think why I’m a bit of a commitment-phobe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Despite torturing Superman for decades, Lex Luthor won the presidency.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025
After winning a record 23rd Grand Slam men's title two years ago, Djokovic admitted he had been "torturing" his team during the tournament.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2025
I didn’t have long to keep torturing myself with questions.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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