What does "tort" mean?
A wrongful act, whether intentional or negligent, regarded as non-criminal and unrelated to a contract, which causes an injury and can be remedied in civil court, usually through the awarding of damages.
Tort
/tɔːt/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A wrongful act, whether intentional or negligent, regarded as non-criminal and unrelated to a contract, which causes an injury and can be remedied in civil court, usually through the awarding of damages.
- Grammar: tort is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: civil wrong, atrocity, breach, crime.
- Useful contrasts: lawful act, legitimate conduct.
- Usage evidence: After being injured on the job, Tom's initial plan to sue his employer was halted when he was informed that the same law that had required his employer to carry Worker's Compensation Insurance for its employees also defined Tom as a statutory employee, and thus he had no legal right to file a separate tort claim.
How to use "tort"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tort" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tort" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tort" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tort" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "civil wrong" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A wrongful act, whether intentional or negligent, regarded as non-criminal and unrelated to a contract, which causes an injury and can be remedied in civil court, usually through the awarding of damages.
"[…] Wrong or Iniury, is in French aptly called Tort, becauſe Iniury & wrong is wreſted or crooked, being contrary to that which is right and ſtreight. […] And Britton ſaith that Tort a la ley eſt contrarye [a wrong to the law is contrary], and as aptly for the cauſe aforeſaid is iniury in English called wrong."
- 2 Clipping of tortoise. British, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, dialectal, obsolete, slang
- 3 Clipping of tortoiseshell (“a domestic cat, guinea pig, rabbit, or other animal whose fur has black, brown, and yellow markings; a tortie”). British, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, dialectal, obsolete, slang
- 4 (law) any wrongdoing for which an action for damages may be brought wordnet
- 5 An injury or wrong. obsolete
"Then gan triumphant Trompets ſovvnd on hye, / That ſent to heuen the ecchoed report / Of their nevv ioy, and happie victory / Gainſt him, that had them long oppreſt with tort, / And faſt impriſoned in ſieged fort."
Adjective
- 1 Twisted. obsolete
"And the firſt that came and gaue them moſt comfort was Henry Erle of Lãcaſter with yͤ wrie neck, called Tort coll [torticollis], who was brother to Thomas Erle of Lãcaſter yͭ was behedded, as ye haue heard before, who was a right vertuous & good knight as after ye ſhal here."
- 2 Synonym of tart (“sharp- or sour-tasting; (figuratively) keen, severe, sharp”) British, dialectal
- 3 Synonym of taut (“stretched tight; under tension”). British, dialectal, obsolete
"Yet holds he them with tortest rein, / That they may seize and entertain / The glance that to their glance opposes, / Like fiery honey sucked from roses."
- 4 Of a boat: watertight. British, dialectal, obsolete
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
lawful actlegitimate conduct
Example
"After being injured on the job, Tom's initial plan to sue his employer was halted when he was informed that the same law that had required his employer to carry Worker's Compensation Insurance for its employees also defined Tom as a statutory employee, and thus he had no legal right to file a separate tort claim."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tort"?
Common synonyms include: civil wrong, atrocity, breach, crime, crime against humanity, deadly sin.
How do you use "tort" in a sentence?
After being injured on the job, Tom's initial plan to sue his employer was halted when he was informed that the same law that had required his employer to carry Worker's Compensation Insurance for its employees also defined Tom as a statutory employee, and thus he had no legal right to file a separate tort claim.
How do you pronounce "tort"?
Pronounced /tɔːt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English tort (“(uncountable) wrong; (countable) an injury, a wrong”), from Old French tort (“misdeed, wrong”) (modern French tort (“an error, wrong; a fault”)), from Medieval Latin tortum (“injustice, wrong”), a noun use of a neuter singular participle form of Latin tortus (“crooked; twisted”), the perfect passive participle of torqueō (“to bend or twist awry, distort”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- (“to spin; to turn”). Cognates * Galician torto (“(adjective) bent; crooked; twisted; (noun, archaic) harm, offence; injustice, wrong, tort”) * Italian torto (“(adjective) bent; crooked; twisted; (noun, archaic) injustice, wrong”) * Norwegian Bokmål tort (dated, now only in fixed expressions) * Norwegian Nynorsk tort (dated, now only in fixed expressions) * Occitan tort * Old French tort (modern French tort) * Portuguese torto (“(adjective) bent; crooked; twisted; (noun, archaic) harm, offence; injustice, wrong”) * Spanish tuerto (“injury, offence”)
Etymology 2
From Middle English tort, torte (“contorted, crooked; twisted”), from Old French tort, torte (“crooked; twisted”), or from its etymon Latin tortus (“crooked; twisted”): see further at etymology 1.
Etymology 3
A variant of tart.
Etymology 4
A variant of taut.
Etymology 5
Clipping of tortoise.
Etymology 6
Clipping of tortoiseshell.