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Synonyms

torso

American  
[tawr-soh] / ˈtɔr soʊ /

noun

plural

torsos, torsi
  1. the trunk of the human body.

  2. a sculptured form representing the trunk of a nude female or male figure.

  3. something mutilated or incomplete.


torso British  
/ ˈtɔːsəʊ /

noun

  1. the trunk of the human body

  2. a statue of a nude human trunk, esp without the head or limbs

  3. something regarded as incomplete or truncated

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of torso

1715–25; < Italian: stalk, trunk of statue < Latin thyrsus < Greek thýrsos wand, stem

Explanation

A torso is the trunk of a human body — minus arms, legs, and head. Anatomically, your torso's job is to protect your internal organs, like your heart, lungs, and kidney, which are all protected by your rib cage. A statue of a torso in a museum, usually ancient Greek or Roman, is that of the trunk of a human body. These works of art, often carved from marble, are so old that they've frequently lost their arms and heads — but still, the sturdy torso remains. Originally torso only referred to the trunk of a statue, from the Greek root thyrsos, "stalk or stem of a plant." Then, around the 1860s, it began referring human trunks as well.

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Vocabulary lists containing torso

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.

Turkey is now seeking the repatriation of other antiquities taken during the Ottoman era: an ancient marble torso called the "Old Fisherman" from Berlin, and dozens of Iznik tiles held at France's Louvre museum.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

“I’m sorry about my ugly appearance,” a preteen Kaley said in a YouTube video played in court Thursday morning, urgently repeating, “I look so fat,” while panning the camera over her slender torso.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

"When we got there we saw what looked like a log of wood and that transpired to be a torso, which had stayed exactly where it had gone in. Which was quite remarkable."

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

The Atlas robot, shown at a Las Vegas trade show in January, can twist its head, torso and joints 360 degrees—and replace its own batteries at a charging station.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

He held up a red-and-black-striped flannel to his torso and looked in the mirror on his closet door.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro