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torture  (tortures plural & 3rd person present) (torturing present participle) (tortured past tense & past participle )
1  verb If someone is tortured, another person deliberately causes them great pain over a period of time, in order to punish them or to make them reveal information. 
French police are convinced that she was tortured and killed...  be V-ed 
They never again tortured a prisoner in his presence.  V n 
  Torture is also a noun., n-var 
...alleged cases of torture and murder by the security forces...  
2  verb To torture someone means to cause them to suffer mental pain or anxiety.  (=torment) 
He would not torture her further by trying to argue with her...  V n 
She tortured herself with fantasies of Bob and his new girlfriend.  V pron-refl 
3  n-uncount If you say that something is torture or a torture, you mean that it causes you great mental or physical suffering. 
INFORMAL also a N 
Waiting for the result was torture...  



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