tort
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tort
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “injury, wrong,” from Old French, from Medieval Latin tortum “wrong, injustice,” noun use of neuter of Latin tortus “twisted, crooked, dubious,” past participle of torquēre “to twist, wring”
Explanation
If you sue a surgeon for operating on your left foot instead of the right one, you are filing a tort suit. Hopefully, you'll walk out of court victorious (on both feet). Tort comes from the Latin word tortum, meaning "wrong." When someone has done some wrong to you, you can seek justice (in the form of payment) by taking them to court. Tortum itself comes from tortus (also Latin) meaning "twisted." So remember if someone does something twisted, like spread terrible lies about you, you could pursue a tort claim.
Vocabulary lists containing tort
Twists and Turns: Tor
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Just Mercy
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The Judicial System
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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:
In March, he also submitted a tort claim.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
A few weeks ago, she filed a federal tort claim against the Department of Homeland Security.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
She was not released until the sun began to rise around 5 a.m., according to the tort claim.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026
This may be the most perverse incentive of the U.S. tort system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
I was far more excited about the prospect of my brother taking his wedding vows, in other words, than I was about reviewing what constituted a tort.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Letting U.S. courts adjudicate foreign torts also creates a “danger of unwarranted judicial interference in the conduct of foreign policy,” she writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
They moved beyond their bread-and-butter fare of personal injury, adding departments for mass torts — cases that involves thousands of people suing over the same thing — and housing law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
His teaching and research areas include torts, environmental law, climate change, products liability, and risk regulation.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2025
I would like to thank my colleague, Brendan Conner, who is an assistant professor of law at Delaware Law School , and his torts students for their helpful insights.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2024
In the legal parlance of the practice of torts such occurrences as these are known as "acts of God."
From The True Story of Our National Calamity of Flood, Fire and Tornado by Marshall, Logan
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.
