v. 1
To intentionally inflict severe pain or suffering on (someone), usually with the aim of forcing confessions or punishing them.
People who torture often have sadistic tendencies.
n. 1
Severe pain or anguish, of mind or body.
n. 2
The infliction of severe pain or anguish, especially as an interrogation technique or punishment; (usually in the plural) a technique, method, or device which is designed to inflict such anguish.
What new tortures await me?

Related words

Forms

Plural: tortures → agonies, pains, distresses, sufferings…
Past participle: tortured
e.g. tortured → tormented, anguished, racked, agonized…

Torture, Torment or Sufferings?

Torment and torture are intense and terrible sufferings.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

4 letters: pain¹, hurt¹, pine¹, rack¹, pang¹
5 letters: wound¹, agony³, wring¹, throe
6 letters: punish², misery³, martyr², harrow², impale², garble²
7 letters: torment², anguish², pervert², distort², afflict², agonize³, agonise
8 letters: distress², twisting², irritate³, macerate, misapply³, aggrieve²
9 letters: suffering³, straining², martyrdom³
10 letters: distortion³, excruciate
12 letters: misrepresent⁴, excruciation
14 letters: overrefinement

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (agony³ = 3 syllables).