torso
Americannoun
plural
torsos, torsi-
the trunk of the human body.
-
a sculptured form representing the trunk of a nude female or male figure.
-
something mutilated or incomplete.
noun
-
the trunk of the human body
-
a statue of a nude human trunk, esp without the head or limbs
-
something regarded as incomplete or truncated
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.
Vocabulary lists containing torso
The Crossover
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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"A Rose for Emily"
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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.
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
To recreate the animal, researchers constructed the torso using polystyrene foam and a wooden frame, then added cotton, bubble paper, and fabric to mimic soft tissues.
From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026
At the time she didn’t know what was causing pain in her right leg and the intense itching on her arms, legs and torso — or why her handwriting had “gone funky.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
The naked torso of Christ is that of an antique god, an elegantly idealized, robust body.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
As they spoke, the smoke seemed to be coalescing into some sort of shape, almost like...almost like a body, a torso.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
