Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A tortuous process or piece of writing is very long and complicated. □  …these long and tortuous negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.

tor|ture ◆◇◇ /tɔː ^r tʃə ^r / (tortures , torturing , tortured )

1 VERB If someone is tortured , another person deliberately causes them great pain over a period of time, in order to punish them or to make them reveal information. □ [be V -ed] French police are convinced that she was tortured and killed. □ [V n] They never again tortured a prisoner in his presence. ● N‑VAR Torture is also a noun. □  …alleged cases of torture and murder by the security forces.

2 VERB To torture someone means to cause them to suffer mental pain or anxiety. □ [V n] He would not torture her further by trying to argue with her. □ [V pron-refl + with ] She tortured herself with fantasies of Bob and his new girlfriend.

3 N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] If you say that something is torture or a torture , you mean that it causes you great mental or physical suffering. [INFORMAL ] □  Waiting for the result was torture.

tor|tur|er /tɔː ^r tʃərə ^r / (torturers ) N‑COUNT A torturer is someone who tortures people.

tor|tur|ous /tɔː ^r tʃərəs/ ADJ Something that is torturous is extremely painful and causes great suffering. □  This is a torturous, agonizing way to kill someone.

Tory ◆◆◇ /tɔː ri/ (Tories ) ADJ In Britain, a Tory politician or voter is a member of or votes for the Conservative Party. □  …the former Tory Party chairman. ● N‑COUNT Tory is also a noun. □  The Tories have launched their election campaign.

toss /tɒ s, [AM ] tɔː s/ (tosses , tossing , tossed )

1 VERB If you toss something somewhere, you throw it there lightly, often in a rather careless way. □ [V n prep/adv] He screwed the paper into a ball and tossed it into the fire. □ [V n n] He tossed Malone a bottle of water, and took one himself.

2 VERB If you toss your head or toss your hair, you move your head backwards, quickly and suddenly, often as a way of expressing an emotion such as anger or contempt. □ [V n] 'I'm sure I don't know.' Cook tossed her head. □ [V n prep/adv] Gasping, she tossed her hair out of her face. ● N‑COUNT Toss is also a noun. □ [+ of ] With a toss of his head and a few hard gulps, Bob finished the last of his coffee.

3 VERB In sports and informal situations, if you decide something by tossing a coin, you spin a coin into the air and guess which side of the coin will face upwards when it lands. □ [V n] We tossed a coin to decide who would go out and buy the buns. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Toss is also a noun. □ [+ of ] It would be better to decide it on the toss of a coin.

4 N‑SING The toss is a way of deciding something, such as who is going to go first in a game, that consists of spinning a coin into the air and guessing which side of the coin will face upwards when it lands. □  Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first.

5 VERB If something such as the wind or sea tosses an object, it causes it to move from side to side or up and down. [LITERARY ] □ [V n] The seas grew turbulent, tossing the small boat like a cork. □ [be V -ed adv/prep] As the plane was tossed up and down, the pilot tried to stabilise it.

6 VERB If you toss food while preparing it, you put pieces of it into a liquid and lightly shake them so that they become covered with the liquid. □ [V n] Do not toss the salad until you're ready to serve. □ [V n + in ] Add the grated orange rind and toss the apple slices in the mixture. □ [V -ed] Serve straight from the dish with a tossed green salad.

7 → see also toss-up