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# torture

noun (torture — uncountable; a torture); verb (torture, tortures, tortured, torturing)

«torture» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Causing great pain to someone on purpose, to punish them or make them say something. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#m1)
2. (verb) To hurt someone in this way. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#m2)
3. (informal, joking) Something very unpleasant or boring: this traffic is torture. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#m3)

### In the lessons

In history lessons torture was used in the past and is now against international law. In everyday talk children use it as a joke: waiting for the holidays is torture. Phrases: sheer torture, torture chamber.

### Examples

- Torture is against the law in almost every country. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#x1)
- The castle had an old torture chamber. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#x2)
- Waiting in the queue was torture. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#x3)
- Stop torturing your sister with that silly song! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#x4)
- Long car journeys are torture for my little brother. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#x5)
- He was tortured by doubts about his choice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#x6)
- "Perhaps they'll take to torturing me too!" [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/#x7)

### Note

The joking sense is common but the real sense is very serious. Adjective torturous (painful), not to be confused with tortuous (twisty, full of bends).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «torture» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torture/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«torture» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/torture.html) on Mova free.