waterboarding

noun

wa·ter·board·ing ˈwȯ-tər-ˌbȯr-diŋ

ˈwä-

: an interrogation technique usually regarded as a form of torture in which water is forced into a detainee's mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning

Examples of waterboarding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web By then, agency interrogators had held them for years incommunicado and tortured them, including subjecting Mohammed to a record 183 rounds of waterboarding, a decision that would stymie years of efforts to put the men on trial. —

Carol Rosenberg, Orlando Sentinel, 31 July 2024 Whether these and other tactics, such as slapping or waterboarding, qualify as torture under the law remains subject to debate. —

Robert Jervis, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2015 For example, the C.I.A. had forced Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is accused of being the architect of the hijackings, to talk to interrogators through waterboarding, rectal abuse, shackling while nude and other brutality. —

Charlie Savage, New York Times, 16 May 2024 Windows have been added to the barn, where, according to former detainees cited in European court rulings, prisoners were kept shackled in the dark and subjected to sleep deprivation, beatings and waterboarding. —

Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for waterboarding

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'waterboarding.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.