torture
The act of hurting someone very badly on purpose, usually to punish them or make them tell you something.
The deliberate infliction of severe physical or mental pain on someone, especially to punish them or force them to give information or a confession.
Very strong pain or very strong mental suffering, or something that makes you feel like this.
Severe physical or mental suffering, or something that causes such suffering, often used hyperbolically for very unpleasant experiences.
To hurt someone very badly on purpose, usually to punish them or make them say something you want.
To deliberately cause someone very severe physical or mental pain, especially in order to punish them or force them to give information or a confession.
To make someone feel very sad, worried, or stressed again and again.
To cause someone to experience intense mental or emotional suffering, anxiety, or worry; to torment.
To change something so much that it is not natural or true anymore, for example by twisting a body or changing the meaning of words.
To twist or pull something out of its normal shape, or, figuratively, to change or use an idea, text, or fact in a way that seriously distorts its original meaning.
- Base: torture
- Plural: torture, tortures
- Base: torture
- 3rd Person Singular: tortures
- Present Participle: torturing
- Past: tortured
be torture
1Be extremely unpleasant or painful
To be a very unpleasant or very painful experience.
- For me, getting up at 5 a.m. is torture.
- Sitting through that three-hour meeting was torture.
like torture
1As bad as extreme suffering
Used to say that something feels as bad as very strong pain or suffering.
- Waiting for the doctor to call back was like torture.
- For a shy person, talking on stage can feel like torture.
psychological torture
1Non-physical mental torture
Torture that hurts a person in their mind and emotions, not mainly in their body.
- Prisoners reported both physical and psychological torture.
- Isolation can be a form of psychological torture.
torture chamber
1Room where torture happens
A special room where people are tortured, especially in stories about history or prisons.
- The castle museum includes a reconstructed medieval torture chamber.
- The basement was so dark and cold that it felt like a torture chamber.
torture device
1Tool used for torture
A special tool or machine that is made to hurt people in torture.
- The museum showed old torture devices such as the rack and iron maiden.
- He built a simple torture device that pinched the fingers as a prank.
torture porn
1Media focused on graphic torture
A type of horror movie or show that mainly shows long, very violent torture scenes to shock the viewer.
- Some critics dismissed the movie as simple torture porn with no real story.
- He does not like horror films that turn into torture porn.
torture scene
1Scene depicting torture
A part of a movie, TV show, or book where torture happens.
- Some viewers found the torture scenes too graphic to watch.
- The director cut one torture scene to get a lower age rating.
torture someone to death
1Torture a person until they die
To hurt someone very badly again and again so that they die from the torture.
- The soldiers reportedly tortured several prisoners to death.
- He was accused of torturing the victim to death over several days.
torture victim
1Person who has been tortured
A person who has suffered torture.
- The clinic provides counseling for torture victims.
- Many torture victims are afraid to speak about their experiences.
under torture
1While being tortured or pressured
While someone is being tortured, or jokingly, under very strong pressure.
- He admitted the crime only under torture.
- I would not repeat his secret, not even under torture.