Synonyms

interrogate

American

[in-ter-uh-geyt] / ɪnˈtɛr əˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

to ask questions of (a person), sometimes to seek answers or information that the person questioned considers personal or secret.

Synonyms:

query
to examine by questions; question formally.

The police captain interrogated the suspect.
to analyze (an idea or belief), especially by thoroughly and dispassionately questioning its underlying assumptions.

The antiwork movement seeks to interrogate the concept of work as we know it today.

verb (used without object)

to ask questions, especially formally or officially.

the right to interrogate.

interrogate British

/ ɪnˈtɛrəˌɡeɪt /

verb

to ask questions (of), esp to question (a witness in court, spy, etc) closely

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Present

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Etymology

Origin of interrogate

First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin interrogātus, past participle of interrogāre “to question, examine,” equivalent to inter- “between, among, together” + rogā(re) “to ask” + -tus past participle suffix; see inter-

Explanation

To interrogate is to ask someone a bunch of questions. Usually, it’s the police, FBI, or other law-enforcement officials who interrogate suspects, but your father-in-law may interrogate you about your career plans. Interrogate comes from the Latin prefix inter-, “between” added to the Latin verb rogare, “to ask.” To interrogate someone is not just asking a few polite questions over a cup of tea. When you interrogate someone there is usually a method to the questioning with a specific mission in mind, like determining a criminal's motive or where she stashed the loot. Your college entrance interview may feel like an interrogation, but their mission is really just to get to know you.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing interrogate

"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7

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For Grilled Cheese Day, Vocab with a Twist

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Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This provides “A Soldier’s Play,” which opened on Thursday at the American Airlines Theater, the solid if programmatic structure of a police procedural: Interrogate, rinse, repeat.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2020

Interrogate the devil; he will tell you that beauty is a pair of horns, four claws and a tail.

From Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire

But I, consid’ring sat, how I might each Interrogate, and thus resolv’d.

From The Odyssey of Homer by Cowper, William

Interrogate de semitis antiquis quae sit via bona, et ambulate in eâ.”—Jerem. vi.

From The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels by Burgon, John William

About the sable blood frequent they swarm'd, But I consid'ring sat, how I might each Interrogate, and thus resolv'd.

From The Life and Writings of Henry Fuseli, Volume I (of 3) by Knowles, John

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023