torture

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The young man was part of a loose network called the Zizians: self-proclaimed rationalists who believe a misaligned AI superintelligence could one day torture humanity the way factory farms torture animals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

“When you submit a video, you dwell on what you should have done or what you didn’t think of in the moment. You torture yourself — at least I do.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Lorne Warburton had never heard of the hantavirus until three years ago when he was taken to hospital and put on life support, describing the sickness as "torture" and "hell on earth".

From BBC • May 7, 2026

If you tell people to torture themselves by listening to their baby cry instead of soothing her, there’s a reasonable possibility that they will report some benefits to the method even if there aren’t any.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

His mother would rush and grab him and, with a foreign curse and a shaken fist at the frosted door, hurry him out of the torture chamber.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith