Waterboarding is a method of torture in which a person is restrained and made to experience the sensation of drowning by having water poured over their covered face, nose, and mouth.

Quick Scoop: What does waterboarding mean?

Waterboarding is not a punishment or a game; it is widely regarded as torture under international human rights law.

Here’s what it actually involves:

  • The person is tied or strapped to a board, usually on their back with their head lower than their feet.
  • A cloth or similar material is placed over the face, covering the nose and mouth.
  • Water is repeatedly poured over the cloth so the person cannot breathe normally and feels like they are drowning.
  • This triggers panic, choking, and a strong gag reflex within seconds, creating an overwhelming fear of imminent death.

Because it deliberately induces severe physical and psychological suffering, many governments, courts, and human rights organizations classify waterboarding as torture and ban it under international law.

In simple terms: waterboarding means forcing someone, while they are tied down, to feel like they are drowning as a way to break them or extract information.

Why is it so serious?

Waterboarding can cause:

  • Extreme fear, panic, and long‑lasting psychological trauma.
  • Physical harm such as lung damage, oxygen deprivation to the brain, and injuries from struggling against restraints.
  • Risk of death if the process is not stopped in time.

Because of this, international human rights law absolutely prohibits waterboarding, with no exceptions for war, terrorism, or emergencies.

A note on “trending context”

Waterboarding often appears in:

  • News and political debates about “enhanced interrogation” and national security.
  • Forum discussions where people argue whether it “works” or whether it’s ever justified.
  • Human rights campaigns that stress that it is torture and must remain banned.

Whenever you see “waterboarding” mentioned in current events or forums, it almost always refers to this same practice of simulated drowning used as a coercive interrogation method.

TL;DR:
Waterboarding means strapping someone down and pouring water over their covered face so they feel like they are drowning; it is widely condemned and legally treated as torture.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.