Meaning & use
tort
Last updated
UK/tɔːt/
US/tɔːrt/
Meaning
nouncountablelaw
A civil wrong, other than breaking a contract, that harms someone and entitles them to seek compensation.
Grammar: Countable: commit a tort, several torts.
Patterns
- the tort of something
- a tort against someone
Negligence is the most common tort in personal injury cases.
The lawyer argued that the company had committed a tort.
Students study tort law in their first year.
Word forms
| plural | torts |
|---|
Common combinations
- commit a tort
- A driver who ignores a red light may commit a tort.
- tort law
- Tort law covers many accident claims.
- tort claim
- She filed a tort claim against the shop.
- the tort of negligence
- The case turned on the tort of negligence.
- tort reform
- Politicians debated tort reform.
Synonyms and how they differ
- civil wrong
- Civil wrong is the plain-English phrase, while tort is the technical term.
- offense
- Offense often means a crime, whereas a tort is handled in civil court.
- breach of duty
- Breach of duty describes only one way a tort may occur.
Word family
Commonly confused: tort or torte? tort or tortuous?
tort vs torte
A torte is a rich cake; a tort is a civil wrong.
tort vs tortuous
Tortuous means twisting and complicated and is unrelated.
Practice
Which is a tort rather than a breach of contract?
Choose one answer.
Careless injury is negligence, a tort. The other options break agreements, which are contract matters.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tort”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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