1. inflicting severe physical or mental pain on someone
2. causing great mental anguish or distress

1. causing extreme physical or mental pain

Examples

• The dictator was accused of torturing political prisoners.
• She was torturing herself with guilt over the accident.
• The detective spent hours torturing the suspect for information.
• His conscience was torturing him after he lied to his parents.
• The torturing heat made it impossible to work outside.
• Stop torturing that poor cat with the laser pointer.
• The torturing memories of war haunted the veteran for years.