Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning.

What does waterboard someone mean?

Waterboarding, or "water torture," is a brutal practice whereby an interrogator straps a prisoner to a board, places a wet rag in his mouth, and by pouring water through the rag induces controlled drowning.

Can you survive waterboarding?

Absolutely. It's the same as drowning. In fact, those who have experienced waterboarding describe it as exactly that. Like drowning, unless the water is cleared from the lungs and mouth in a matter of minutes, the person passes out from lack of oxygen and drowns.