waterboarding

[waw-ter-bawr-ding, wot-er‑]

noun

1. a form of torture in which water is poured onto the face and head of the immobilized victim so as to induce a fear of drowning.

waterboarding

/ ˈwɔːtəˌbɔːdɪŋ /

noun

1. a form of torture in which the victim is immobilized and has water poured on his or her face, producing a severe gag reflex, to simulate drowning

Word History and Origins

Origin of waterboarding¹

First recorded in 2000–05; water + board + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Cheney also frequently defended the use of so-called extreme interrogation methods, such as waterboarding, on al Qaeda operatives.

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Cheney was a strong supporter of waterboarding captured terrorist suspects, declaring himself to be a "strong proponent of our enhanced interrogation techniques".

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He hasn’t prepared for a back-and-forth, only enough verbal waterboarding to exhaust Michelle and convince her to arrange a meeting with the Andromedon leaders.

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In our American experiment, queerness has clearly offered “We, the People” some exponential benefit of stick-to-it-ness, multiplicity of skill and wit in the struggle, as our society has withstood several true tests to soar higher than Charlemagne without imprisoning the satirists or waterboarding the joketellers.

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“For me, it was like waterboarding. People think, ‘Oh, my God, so much fun to act in those scenes.’

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