torture

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tor·ture

(tôr′chər)

1. Infliction of severe physical pain as a means of punishment or coercion.

2. Excruciating physical or mental pain; agony: the torture suffered by inmates in the camp.

3. An experience or cause of severe pain or anguish: "Just to watch them handling thick woolen winter coats in that heat was, for me, a torture" (Arthur Miller).

tr.v. tor·tured, tor·tur·ing, tor·tures

1. To subject (a person or animal) to torture.

2. To bring great physical or mental pain upon (another). See Synonyms at afflict.

3. To overwork, misinterpret, or distort: torture a metaphor throughout an essay; torture a rule to make it fit a case.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin tortūra, from Latin tortus, past participle of torquēre, to twist; see terk^w- in Indo-European roots.]

tor′tur·er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

torture

(ˈtɔːtʃə)

vb (tr)

1. to cause extreme physical pain to, esp in order to extract information, break resistance, etc: to torture prisoners.

2. to give mental anguish to

3. to twist into a grotesque form

4. physical or mental anguish

5. the practice of torturing a person

6. a cause of mental agony or worry

[C16: from Late Latin tortūra a twisting, from torquēre to twist]

ˈtortured adj

ˈtorturedly adv

ˈtorturer n

ˈtorturesome, ˈtorturous adj

ˈtorturing adj

ˈtorturingly adv

ˈtorturously adv

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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tor•ture

(ˈtɔr tʃər)

n., v. -tured, -tur•ing. n.

1. the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.

2. a method of inflicting such pain.

3. Often, tortures. the pain or suffering caused or undergone.

4. extreme anguish of body or mind; agony.

5. a cause of severe pain or anguish.

v.t.

6. to subject to torture.

7. to afflict with severe pain of body or mind.

8. to twist, force, or bring into some unnatural shape.

[1530–40; < Late Latin tortūra a twisting]

tor′tur•er, n.

torture

ordeal - From Old English ordel, "judgment," figuratively, an experience testing endurance, patience, courage, etc.—also a test of guilt or innocence that was one of severe pain or torture.
torment - Comes from a Latin word, tormentum, for an instrument of torture.
tortuous, torturous - Tortuous is "winding, crooked, full of twists and turns," and torturous, based on "torture," is "painful, characterized by suffering."
travel - From Latin trepaliare, "torture," it evolved into "journey" from the allusion to the inevitable trouble of medieval travel.

torture

Past participle: tortured
Gerund: torturing

Imperative
torture
torture

Present
I torture
you torture
he/she/it tortures
we torture
you torture
they torture

Preterite
I tortured
you tortured
he/she/it tortured
we tortured
you tortured
they tortured

Present Continuous
I am torturing
you are torturing
he/she/it is torturing
we are torturing
you are torturing
they are torturing

Present Perfect
I have tortured
you have tortured
he/she/it has tortured
we have tortured
you have tortured
they have tortured

Past Continuous
I was torturing
you were torturing
he/she/it was torturing
we were torturing
you were torturing
they were torturing

Past Perfect
I had tortured
you had tortured
he/she/it had tortured
we had tortured
you had tortured
they had tortured

Future
I will torture
you will torture
he/she/it will torture
we will torture
you will torture
they will torture

Future Perfect
I will have tortured
you will have tortured
he/she/it will have tortured
we will have tortured
you will have tortured
they will have tortured

Future Continuous
I will be torturing
you will be torturing
he/she/it will be torturing
we will be torturing
you will be torturing
they will be torturing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been torturing
you have been torturing
he/she/it has been torturing
we have been torturing
you have been torturing
they have been torturing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been torturing
you will have been torturing
he/she/it will have been torturing
we will have been torturing
you will have been torturing
they will have been torturing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been torturing
you had been torturing
he/she/it had been torturing
we had been torturing
you had been torturing
they had been torturing

Conditional
I would torture
you would torture
he/she/it would torture
we would torture
you would torture
they would torture

Past Conditional
I would have tortured
you would have tortured
he/she/it would have tortured
we would have tortured
you would have tortured
they would have tortured

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	torture - extreme mental distress anguish, torment distress, hurt, suffering - psychological suffering; "the death of his wife caused him great distress"
	2.	torture - unbearable physical pain torment hurting, pain - a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder; "the patient developed severe pain and distension"
	3.	torture - intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain; "an agony of doubt"; "the torments of the damned" agony, torment hurt, suffering - feelings of mental or physical pain
	4.	torture - the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean overrefinement, twisting, straining, distortion falsification, misrepresentation - a willful perversion of facts
	5.	torture - the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons in an attempt to force another person to yield information or to make a confession or for any other reason; "it required unnatural torturing to extract a confession" torturing persecution - the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion) falanga, bastinado - a form of torture in which the soles of the feet are beaten with whips or cudgels boot - a form of foot torture in which the feet are encased in iron and slowly crushed burning - a form of torture in which cigarettes or cigars or other hot implements are used to burn the victim's skin excruciation, crucifixion - the infliction of extremely painful punishment or suffering genital torture - blunt or penetrating trauma or rape (vaginal or anal) judicial torture - torture that is sanctioned by the state and executed by duly accredited officials; "the English renounced judicial torture in 1640" kia quen - a form of foot torture used by the Chinese in which the victim's foot was placed between three pieces of bamboo and systematically squeezed kittee - a form of torture used by American Indians in which sensitive parts of the body were squeezed between two boards until the victim could bear no more nail pulling, nail removal - a form of torture in which the fingernails or toenails are removed piquet, picket - a form of military punishment used by the British in the late 17th century in which a soldier was forced to stand on one foot on a pointed stake prolonged interrogation - a form of psychological torture inflicted by questioning the victim for hours rack - a form of torture in which pain is inflicted by stretching the body sensory deprivation - a form of psychological torture inflicted by depriving the victim of all sensory input sleep deprivation - a form of psychological torture inflicted by depriving the victim of sleep strapado, strappado - a form of torture in which the hands are tied behind a person's back and they are lifted off the ground by a rope tied to their wrists, then allowed to drop until their fall is checked with a jerk by the rope electric shock - the use of electricity to administer punishment or torture; "they used cattle prods to administer electric shocks" dismemberment, taking apart - the removal of limbs; being cut to pieces
Verb	1.	torture - torment emotionally or mentally excruciate, torment, rack anguish, pain, hurt - cause emotional anguish or make miserable; "It pains me to see my children not being taught well in school"
	2.	torture - subject to torture; "The sinners will be tormented in Hell, according to the Bible" excruciate, torment injure - cause injuries or bodily harm to rack - torture on the rack martyrise, martyrize, martyr - torture and torment like a martyr

torture

verb

1. torment, abuse, persecute, afflict, martyr, scourge, molest, crucify, mistreat, ill-treat, maltreat, put on the rack Police are convinced she was tortured and killed.
torment comfort, soothe, console, alleviate, solace, mollify, salve

2. torment, worry, trouble, distress, pain, rack, afflict, harrow, agonize, give someone grief (Brit. & S. African), inflict anguish on He would not torture her further by arguing.

noun

1. ill-treatment, abuse, torment, persecution, martyrdom, maltreatment, harsh treatment alleged cases of torture and murder by security forces

2. agony, suffering, misery, anguish, hell, distress, torment, heartbreak Waiting for the result was torture.
agony delight, pleasure, joy, well-being, happiness, enjoyment, amusement, bliss

Torture

Instruments of torture boot, brake, cat-o'-nine-tails, iron maiden, pilliwinks, Procrustean bed, rack, scourge, thumbscrew, wheel

Types of torture bastinado, Chinese water torture, gauntlet, strappado, water cure, water torture

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

torture

noun

1. Excruciating punishment:

hell, living hell, persecution, torment.

Idiom: tortures of the damned.

2. A state of physical or mental suffering:

affliction, agony, anguish, distress, hurt, misery, pain, torment, woe, wound, wretchedness.

verb

1. To subject (another) to extreme physical cruelty, as in punishing:

crucify, rack, torment.

Idiom: put on the rack.

2. To bring great harm or suffering to:

afflict, agonize, anguish, curse, excruciate, plague, rack, scourge, smite, strike, torment.

Translations

تَعْذيبتَعْذِيبتعزيبعَذابعزّب

tortura

mučenímukatrápittýratmučit

torturtorturerepinetortere

Folter foltern Tortur Qual quälen

βασανίζω βασανιστήριο βασανιστήρια

torturi

tortura torturar

kiduttaakidutus

torture torturer tourmenter

mučenjemučiti

kínlódáskínvallatás

e-î sem orsakar kvölpyntapyntingar

tortura torturare supplizio tormento

拷問拷問にかける

고문고문하다

kankinimas

mocībasmocītspīdzināšanaspīdzināt

chinuitortura

mučenie

mučenjemučiti

torteratortyr

การทรมานทรมาน

işkence işkence etmekişkence yapmakıstırapazap

тортури

sự tra tấntra tấn

折磨拷问煎熬痛苦刑讯逼供

torture

[ˈtɔːtʃəʳ]

A. N

1. (lit) → tortura f
to put sb to (the) torture → torturar a algn

2. (fig) → tormento m
it was sheer torture! → ¡era una verdadera tortura!

B. VT

1. (lit) → torturar

2. (= torment) → atormentar
to be tortured by doubts → ser atormentado por las dudas

C. CPD torture chamber N → cámara f de tortura

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

torture

[ˈtɔː^rtʃə^r]

(= method of punishment, interrogation) → torture f
a medieval torture → une torture médiévale
the use of torture → l'usage de la torture

(= difficult experience) → torture f
It was pure torture → C'était une vraie torture.

(= use torture on) [+ prisoner] → torturer

(= torment) [+ animal, person] → torturer
Stop torturing that poor animal! → Arrête de torturer cette pauvre bête!torture chamber n → chambre f de torture

torture

n → Folter f; (fig) → Qual f; instrument of torture → Folterwerkzeug nt; it was sheer torture! (inf) → es war eine wahre Qual or Folter

(lit) → foltern

(fig: = torment) → quälen, peinigen (geh)

(fig: = distort) → verzerren; language → vergewaltigen; tortured language → verkrampfte Sprache; tortured steel → grotesk verbogener Stahl; her hair had been tortured into elaborate curls → ihr Haar war mühsam in kunstvolle Locken gedreht

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

torture

[ˈtɔːtʃəʳ]

1. n → tortura
it was sheer torture! (fig) → è stata una vera tortura!

2. vt → torturare (fig) → tormentare

torture

(ˈtoːtʃə) verb

to treat (someone) cruelly or painfully, as a punishment, or in order to make him/her confess something, give information etc. He tortured his prisoners; She was tortured by rheumatism/jealousy.

noun

1. the act or practice of torturing. The king would not permit torture.

2. (something causing) great suffering. the torture of waiting to be executed.

torture

→ تَعْذِيب, يُعَذِّبُ mučení, mučit tortur, torturere Folter, foltern βασανίζω, βασανιστήριο tortura, torturar kiduttaa, kidutus torture, torturer mučenje, mučiti tortura, torturare 拷問, 拷問にかける 고문, 고문하다 martelen, marteling tortur, torturere torturować, tortury tortura, torturar пытать, пытка tortera, tortyr การทรมาน, ทรมาน işkence, işkence etmek sự tra tấn, tra tấn 刑讯逼供, 折磨

torture

n. tortura, gran sufrimiento; castigo.

torture

n tortura; vt torturar

References in classic literature ?

of all tortures That torture the worst Has abated -- the terrible Torture of thirst For the naphthaline river Of Passion accurst: -- I have drank of a water That quenches all thirst: --

View in context

Now lightning-struck by thee, Thou mocking eye that me in darkness watcheth: --Thus do I lie, Bend myself, twist myself, convulsed With all eternal torture, And smitten By thee, cruellest huntsman, Thou unfamiliar--GOD...

View in context

So at last he had given up, reserving his particular bit of exquisite mental torture for the last moment, when, just before the savage spears of the cannibals should for ever make the object of his hatred immune to further suffering, the Russian planned to reveal to his enemy the true whereabouts of his wife whom he thought safe in England.

View in context

For me to live with him now would be torture, just because I love my past love for him..."

View in context

You shall read, in some of the friars' books of mortification, that a man should think with himself, what the pain is, if he have but his finger's end pressed, or tortured, and thereby imagine, what the pains of death are, when the whole body is corrupted, and dissolved; when many times death passeth, with less pain than the torture of a limb; for the most vital parts, are not the quickest of sense.

View in context

"All night I shall torture him," she muttered to her priests, "and at the first streak of dawn you may prepare the flaming altar upon which his heart shall be offered up to the Flaming God.

View in context

This horrid species of torture may remind the reader of that to which the Spaniards subjected Guatimozin, in order to extort a discovery of his concealed wealth.

View in context

This was apparent from her repeated demands upon my mother to disclose the name of her partner in sin, but no amount of abuse or threats could wring this from her, and to save me from needless torture she lied, for she told Sarkoja that she alone knew nor would she even tell her child.

View in context

Perhaps there was a more real torture in her first unattended footsteps from the threshold of the prison than even in the procession and spectacle that have been described, where she was made the common infamy, at which all mankind was summoned to point its finger.

View in context

You stood the torture and refused to confess; which shows plain enough to even the dull- est understanding that you had nothing to confess --"

View in context

Besides, I was certain that, if he had known of our presence, the tortures would have begun at once.

View in context

Here dreaming, though wide-awake, of the exquisite tortures to which they were to put him at break of day, those confiding savages were found by the treacherous Hook.