tortures 1 of 2

noun

plural of torture
1
as in nightmares
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness it's torture for me to see you so unhappy

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2
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind spent an afternoon in torture waiting to hear whether her brother had made it home safely

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tortures

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of torture
1
as in plagues
to cause persistent suffering to the neighbor's dog constantly tortures our cat, barking at him and chasing him down the street

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2
as in distorts
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition tortured her naturally straight hair into curls

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tortures
Noun
Tykes get slapped around, shot with arrows and dangled in traffic — tortures that are played seriously, but the shock of them allows you to guffaw. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 But such judgments often come from a place of distance—from people who have never lived under a theocracy that imprisons, tortures, and kills with impunity. — Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 11 Mar. 2026 In that final part of the cycle—the writing part—were torments, perhaps even tortures, but good things happened. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026 Former Jews deemed insufficiently converted faced the Spanish Inquisition’s tortures. — David Bloom, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
After Max tortures them in a mock-trial confrontation in their living room, Tom eventually tackles Max into the backyard pool. — Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026 On his latest Hyperdub release, the Japanese producer born Takahide Higuchi sings more than on previous records but tortures his voice through a gauntlet of pitch-shifter effects. — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026 Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate. — Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025 The mistake tortures them, which prompts the couple to try and solve the mystery by producing a fake play in an attempt to get their ex-neighbor Mary (Chloe Cherry) to audition. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2025 The 1990 Kathy Bates-James Caan starrer remains one of Hollywood’s finest horror pieces, with Bates winning an Oscar for her role as the obsessive fan Annie Wilkes, who tortures author Paul Sheldon (Caan) while holding him hostage in her remote cabin. — Deborah Wilker, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortures
  1. nightmares
  2. pains
  3. plagues
  4. distorts
  5. horrors
  6. distresses
  7. persecutes
  8. contorts
Noun
  • An episode of septicemia, with its hells and paradises, its nightmares and hallucinations, transforms Borges into a story writer.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Curry, who died Tuesday at 80, made a gleefully evil turn as a clown that sparked nightmares for legions of Gen X and millennial viewers that continue to haunt to this day.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of nightmares
Noun
  • In cases that are considered to be too severe — such as when a pregnant woman at the center began experiencing labor pains — those individuals are airlifted to a nearby hospital.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • California has taken pains to eliminate coal as a source of electricity, and this would be the first coal export terminal in California — or anywhere on the West Coast.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of pains
Verb
  • Yet the monopolisation that plagues other top tiers, while not as stark in England, is creeping in.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Too often, this means taxpayer dollars are fueling the very gun violence that plagues neighborhoods and communities nationwide.
    — Kris Brown, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of plagues
Verb
  • Because of its large field of view, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help researchers better understand dark matter by capturing how the phenomenon's gravity bends light and distorts a galaxy's shape.
    — Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Saliva collects at the mouthpiece and distorts the notes, making the blasts sound hoarse and off-pitch.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of distorts
Noun
  • Arthur Miller’s enduring impact rivals Shakespeare’s, with a consistently socially conscious body of work that challenged power structures and society’s complicity during his time and still reaches modern audiences with the horrors of today.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026
  • But in between the jump scares and supernatural horrors is a story of motherhood and confronting the past.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrors
Noun
  • Pain, infection, medication side effects, and other physical and emotional distresses may be expressed through shouting, intimidating gestures, kicking, pushing, or punching.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026
Definition of distresses
Verb
  • China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
    — Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Definition of persecutes
Verb
  • Monk’s music contorts into an ecstatic dance, one more befitting of a ritual trance state than a night at the Five Spot.
    — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 11 May 2026
  • Bridges contorts his body, and jacks up an errant layup, but the play isn’t done there.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of contorts

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Cite this Entry

“Tortures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortures. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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