torture

noun

/ˈtɔːtʃə(r)/

/ˈtɔːrtʃər/

[uncountable, countable]

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the act of causing somebody severe pain in order to punish them or make them say or do something拷打；拷问；酷刑
- Many of the refugees have suffered torture.许多难民都遭受过拷打。
- the use of torture施酷刑
- terrible instruments of torture可怕的刑讯工具
- under torture His confessions were made under torture.他被屈打成招。
- I heard stories of gruesome tortures in prisons.我听说过监狱里令人毛骨悚然的刑讯。
Topics War and conflictc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- brutal
- systematic
- mental
- …
verb + torture
- inflict
- endure
- suffer
- …
torture + noun
- camp
- chamber
- room
- …
See full entry
(informal) mental or physical pain; something that causes this（精神上或肉体上的）折磨，痛苦；折磨人的事物
- The interview was sheer torture from start to finish.这次面试从头至尾使人备受煎熬。
Topics Feelingsc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- brutal
- systematic
- mental
- …
verb + torture
- inflict
- endure
- suffer
- …
torture + noun
- camp
- chamber
- room
- …
See full entry

Word Originlate 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’.

torture

verb

/ˈtɔːtʃə(r)/

/ˈtɔːrtʃər/

[often passive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they torture	/ˈtɔːtʃə(r)/ /ˈtɔːrtʃər/
he / she / it tortures	/ˈtɔːtʃəz/ /ˈtɔːrtʃərz/
past simple tortured	/ˈtɔːtʃəd/ /ˈtɔːrtʃərd/
past participle tortured	/ˈtɔːtʃəd/ /ˈtɔːrtʃərd/
-ing form torturing	/ˈtɔːtʃərɪŋ/ /ˈtɔːrtʃərɪŋ/

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to hurt somebody physically or mentally in order to punish them or make them tell you something拷打；拷问；严刑逼供
- torture somebody Many of the rebels were captured and tortured by secret police.反叛者中许多人被捕并遭受到秘密警察的酷刑。
- The prisoners were routinely tortured.囚犯经常遭受酷刑。
- torture somebody into doing something He was tortured into giving them the information.他受不住酷刑被迫向他们供出了情报。
Topics War and conflictc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- badly
- brutally
- severely
- …
phrases
- torture somebody to death
See full entry
torture somebody to make somebody feel extremely unhappy or anxious使痛苦；使苦恼；使焦急；使受煎熬 synonym torment
- He spent his life tortured by the memories of his childhood.童年的记忆使他痛苦了一辈子。
Topics Feelingsc1