tort

/tɔːt/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈɔrt] /tɔːrt/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈɔrt] /ˈtȯrt How to pronounce tort (audio)/ (ame, mw)

tort — noun

  • tortsingular
  • tortsplural

1. a wrongful act that harms another person and is handled in civil law rather than

1.名詞C2
釋義

a wrongful act that harms another person and is handled in civil law rather than as a criminal offence or a failure to keep a contract.

例句

The lawyer argued that dumping waste into the river was a tort.

X was a tort = a civil wrong

After the fall, Dewi sued the store, claiming the wet floor created a tort.

claiming [act] created a tort

同義詞
  • civil wrong

    closest plain-language legal paraphrase

  • wrongdoing

    broader and less technical; not every wrongdoing is a tort

反義詞
  • lawful act

    conduct that does not create civil liability

文法句型

commit a tort

a tort against + person

sue for a tort

用法筆記

Mostly used in legal writing, court decisions, and law classes rather than in ordinary conversation. Lawyers often name the specific tort, such as negligence or defamation, instead of using the general word alone.

常見錯誤

❌The thief's attack was a tort, so the police arrested him.
✅The thief's attack was a crime, though the victim might also sue in tort.
💡Arrest and prosecution belong to criminal law, while a tort is a civil wrong.
❌Breaking the lease was a tort.
✅Breaking the lease was a breach of contract.
💡A tort is separate from a duty created by a contract.