torturenoun
uk/ˈtɔː.tʃər/us/ˈtɔːr.tʃɚ/C2 [ U ] the act of causing great physical or mental pain in order to persuade someone to do something or to give information, or to be cruel to a person or animal:
Half of the prisoners died after torture and starvation.
He revealed the secret under torture.
C1 [ C or U ] informal a very unpleasant experience:
The rush-hour traffic was sheer torture as usual.
More examples
- Even under torture, he refused to deny his faith.
- They used sleep deprivation as a form of torture.
- Human rights campaigners have discovered documentary evidence of torture.
- She was subjected to torture and lengthy interrogations.
- The torture failed to break the prisoner's spirit.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Treating people or animals badly
- a raw deal idiom
- at the hands of sb idiom
- batten
- batten on sb
- be heavy on sb idiom
- bleed
- grind
- jerk
- jerk sb around
- knife
- knock
- knock sb around
- put sb through sth
- sexual harassment
- shit on sb
- shortchange
- shove
- shove sb around
- torment
- walk all over sb idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences
tortureverb [ T ]
uk/ˈtɔː.tʃər/us/ˈtɔːr.tʃɚ/C2 to cause great physical or mental pain to someone intentionally:
It is claimed that the officers tortured a man to death in a city police station.
to cause mental pain:
He tortured himself for years with the thought that he could have stopped the boy from running into the road.
More examples
- He was tortured in prison.
- They were tortured until they revealed where the weapons were hidden.
- If they catch him, they will torture him.
- As a child, he liked to torture insects.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Treating people or animals badly
- a raw deal idiom
- at the hands of sb idiom
- batten
- batten on sb
- be heavy on sb idiom
- bleed
- grind
- jerk
- jerk sb around
- knife
- knock
- knock sb around
- put sb through sth
- sexual harassment
- shit on sb
- shortchange
- shove
- shove sb around
- torment
- walk all over sb idiom
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Making people sad, shocked and upset
torturer
noun [ C ] uk/ˈtɔː.tʃər.ər/us/ˈtɔːr..tʃər.ɚ/