1. to inflict severe physical or mental pain on someone
對某人施加嚴重的身體或精神痛苦
The dictator was known to torture his political prisoners.
這位獨裁者以折磨他的政治犯而聞名。
The prisoner was tortured for information.
這名囚犯被刑求以逼供。
Torture Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
torture
verb
快速理解
What does "Torture" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Torture"?
指對人或動物施加極大的身體或精神痛苦，或用於形容極度困難或令人煩惱的事物。
- 1
施加酷刑
EN: to inflict severe physical pain on someone as punishment or to force them to do or say something.
翻譯: 對某人施加嚴重的身體痛苦，作為懲罰或逼迫其做事、說話。
- 2
精神折磨
EN: to cause someone extreme mental suffering or anxiety.
翻譯: 使某人遭受極大的精神痛苦或焦慮。
- 3
扭曲或濫用
EN: to twist or misuse something (like facts, words, or an idea) to distort its meaning.
翻譯: 扭曲或濫用某事物（如事實、話語或想法）以曲解其原意。
- 4
造成極大困難
EN: to cause something to be in a very difficult or painful state (often used figuratively).
翻譯: 使某事物處於極度困難或痛苦的狀態（常用於比喻）。
小提醒：注意 'torture' 不僅指肉體上的「酷刑」，也常用於描述精神上的「折磨」或比喻性的「煎熬」，例如等待考試結果的煎熬 (the torture of waiting for exam results)。
發音（How to Pronounce "Torture" in English）
How to pronounce "Torture" in English?"Torture" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Torture" from YouTube Videos
Rory Stewart: Why democracy matters
TED
“If we set about saying, for example, torture is wrong because it doesn't extract good information, or we say you need women's rights because it stimulates economic growth by doubling the size of the work force, you leave yourself open to the position where the government of North Korea can turn around and say, "Well, actually, we're having a lot of success extracting good information with our torture at the moment".”
(1 out of 15)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Torture"?How does "Torture" change by context?
2. to cause great mental or emotional suffering
造成巨大的精神或情感痛苦
Waiting for the test results is torturing me.
等待檢測結果讓我備受煎熬。
The memory of his mistake tortured him for years.
他犯錯的記憶折磨了他好幾年。
3. to twist or distort the meaning of something
曲解或扭曲某事物的意義
The lawyer accused the witness of torturing the facts.
律師指控證人扭曲事實。
He tortured the data until it supported his theory.
他曲解數據，直到它支持他的理論。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Torture"?How to make natural sentences with "Torture"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| torture + noun (person/animal) | 折磨（某人或動物） | The dictator tortured his political opponents. (獨裁者折磨他的政治對手。) |
| torture + noun (person) + with + noun | 用…折磨（某人） | The captors tortured the prisoner with sleep deprivation. (俘虜者用睡眠剝奪來折磨囚犯。) |
| be tortured by + noun (thing/feeling) | 受…折磨、因…感到痛苦 | He was tortured by guilt for years. (他多年來深受罪惡感折磨。) |
| torture + noun (person) + to + verb | 折磨（某人）以… | They tortured him to extract a confession. (他們折磨他以逼取口供。) |
| torture + oneself + with + noun/gerund | 用…來折磨自己 | She tortured herself with thoughts of what could have been. (她用對過去可能性的想像來折磨自己。) |
用法說明
How is "Torture" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Torture"?
torture doing vs torture to do
- torture doing 通常用於描述一個持續的、習慣性的或反覆發生的折磨過程，強調的是「折磨」這個行為本身。
- torture to do 則常用於描述一個具體的、一次性的折磨行為，特別是當它作為一個結果或目的時。在表達「想到/看到...是一種折磨」時，常用 It is torture to do 的結構。
- 在假設或條件句中，would torture to + V 的結構也很常見，用來表達「如果...將會是一種折磨」。 EN: He tortures himself by constantly reliving the painful memory. 翻譯: 他不斷重溫那段痛苦的回憶，以此折磨自己。
EN:It would torture him to see his old house again.
翻譯:如果再看到他的老房子，對他將會是一種折磨。
總結建議
在描述習慣性或反覆進行的折磨時，使用 torture doing；在描述具體、一次性的折磨事件或使用 It is/would be torture to... 句型時，則使用 torture to do。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Torture" and similar words?How to choose "Torture" vs alternatives?
torture vs torment
「torture」通常指施加劇烈的身體痛苦，常與刑罰或審訊有關；「torment」則更廣泛，可指身體或精神上的持續折磨。
torture vs abuse
「torture」是為了特定目的（如逼供）而施加極端痛苦；「abuse」是泛指不當對待或傷害，可能但不一定達到酷刑的程度。
torture vs afflict
「torture」強調人為、有意的施加痛苦；「afflict」則指（通常是非人為的）苦難或疾病降臨在某人身上。
口語用法
How is "Torture" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Torture"?
引述
在口語中，常用來引述或轉述他人對某種不愉快經歷的描述，語氣較為隨意。 EN: He was just torturing me with all the details of his diet. 翻譯: 他一直在用他飲食的所有細節折磨我。
EN:Don't torture me with another story about your commute.
翻譯:別再用另一個關於你通勤的故事來折磨我了。
語氣強調
用於誇張地強調某種輕微的不適或煩惱，並非指真正的酷刑，帶有幽默或抱怨的語氣。 EN: This traffic is torture! 翻譯: 這交通簡直是種折磨！
EN:Waiting for the test results is pure torture.
翻譯:等待測驗結果純粹是種折磨。
停頓填充
在思考或尋找合適詞語時，作為一種誇張的填充語，常與 "like" 或 "you know" 連用。 EN: It was... like, torture, trying to get the kid to eat broccoli. 翻譯: 這簡直是... 嗯，折磨，試圖讓那孩子吃西蘭花。
EN:The meeting dragged on forever, you know, total torture.
翻譯:會議沒完沒了地拖著，你知道的，完全是折磨。
正式寫作注意：在正式或學術寫作中（如法律、人權報告、新聞），應嚴格使用其字面意義（施加肉體或精神痛苦），避免上述口語中的誇張或輕鬆用法，以保持嚴謹性。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Torture"?What fixed phrases with "Torture" should I remember?
torture someone
verb + object
折磨某人
be tortured by
passive verb + by + agent
被...折磨
torture to death
verb + prepositional phrase
折磨致死
torture with
verb + with + instrument/cause
用...折磨
torture for information
verb + for + purpose
為獲取情報而折磨
mentally torture
adverb + verb
精神折磨
torture a confession out of someone
verb + object + particle + prepositional phrase
透過折磨逼某人招供
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Torture"?Which "Torture" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×He was torturing by the enemy.
✓He was tortured by the enemy.
當使用被動語態時，動詞應使用過去分詞形式 "tortured"，而非現在分詞 "torturing"。"was tortured" 表示「被折磨」。
×The long wait is a torture.
✓The long wait is torture.
"torture" 作為抽象名詞，表示「折磨、痛苦」時，通常為不可數名詞，前面不加不定冠詞 "a"。
×I torture to decide which one to choose.
✓I am tortured trying to decide which one to choose.
表達「感到煎熬、痛苦」時，常用被動形式 "be tortured" 或使用 "torture" 作為名詞（如 "It's torture..."）。原句將 "torture" 用作不及物動詞是不正確的。
×They tortured him tell the truth.
✓They tortured him to tell the truth.
表達「折磨某人以做某事」時，需使用不定詞 "to + 動詞原形" 來表示目的，不能直接接動詞原形。
×This headache is torturing me.
✓This headache is torturing me. (可接受，但較不正式) / This headache is torture.
"torture" 作為動詞，主語通常是有意識的行動者（人、政權等）。用無生命的 "headache" 作主語雖在口語中可能出現，但較不正式或具文學性。更自然的方式是使用名詞形式 "This headache is torture." 或 "I'm being tortured by this headache."。
×He used torture methods on the prisoner.
✓He used torture on the prisoner. / He used torture methods on the prisoner. (語意重複)
"torture" 本身已包含「方法、手段」的含義，因此 "torture methods" 略顯冗餘。更簡潔自然的說法是 "use torture"。若想強調不同方法，可說 "various methods of torture"。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Torture"?What are tense/participle forms of "Torture"?
tortures(3rd_singular)torturing(present_participle)tortured(past)tortured(past_participle)