1. acts of causing severe physical or mental pain as punishment or to force someone to do something

1. causes severe physical or mental pain to someone
2. causes someone to suffer mentally or emotionally

Examples

• The prisoner endured terrible tortures during captivity.
• Medieval tortures were designed to extract confessions.
• The bully tortures younger students with cruel remarks.
• Guilt tortures him every night before sleep.
• She tortures herself with thoughts of what might have been.
• The sound of nails on chalkboard tortures my ears.
• He tortures the piano keys with his clumsy playing.