/ ˈtɔːtʃə(r); NAmE ˈtɔːrtʃ-/ noun , verb
■ noun [ U , C ]
1.
the act of causing sb severe pain in order to punish them or make them say or do sth :
Many of the refugees have suffered torture.
the use of torture
terrible instruments of torture
His confessions were made under torture .
I heard stories of gruesome tortures in prisons.
2.
( informal ) mental or physical suffering; sth that causes this :
The interview was sheer torture from start to finish.
■ verb [ vn ] [ often passive ]
1.
to hurt sb physically or mentally in order to punish them or make them tell you sth :
Many of the rebels were captured and tortured by secret police.
He was tortured into giving them the information.
2.
to make sb feel extremely unhappy or anxious
SYN torment :
He spent his life tortured by the memories of his childhood.
► tor·turer / ˈtɔːtʃərə(r); NAmE ˈtɔːrtʃ-/ noun
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense distortion, twisting , or a physical disorder characterized by this): via French from late Latin tortura twisting, torment, from Latin torquere to twist.