interrogation
Americannoun
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the act of interrogating; questioning.
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an instance of being interrogated.
He seemed shaken after his interrogation.
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a question; inquiry.
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a written list of questions.
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an interrogation point; question mark.
noun
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the technique, practice, or an instance of interrogating
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a question or query
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telecomm the transmission of one or more triggering pulses to a transponder
Other Word Forms
- interrogational adjective
- reinterrogation noun
- self-interrogation noun
Etymology
Origin of interrogation
1350–1400; Middle English interrogacio ( u ) n < Latin interrogātiōn- (stem of interrogātiō ). See interrogate, -ion
Explanation
An interrogation is a question or an intense questioning session. Police do interrogations of suspects all the time. Have you ever heard someone say, "What is this? An interrogation?" People say that when they feel like they're being questioned a little too much. An interrogation can mean a single question or a series of questions. Police stations usually have interrogation rooms for questioning suspects. When someone is doing an interrogation, they're looking for answers, and it's usually about something very serious.
Vocabulary lists containing interrogation
Speak
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Ungifted
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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.
The book’s playful interrogation of traditional gender expectations is sharpened with the introduction of 1855 Caleb, a fantasy and a nightmare, a stern, quiet man who Natalie finds both terrifying and alluring.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
But Judge Quraishi instead turned it into an interrogation of some legally questionable maneuvers by the New Jersey U.S.
From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026
Abu Zubaydah was the first man subjected to the CIA's "enhanced interrogation" techniques after 11 September 2001 attacks.
From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026
The U.S. discovered that in 2003, when a team of almost two dozen agents who had abducted an Egyptian cleric in Italy for secret interrogation was outed by analysis of their local cellphone records.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
It didn’t smell like the interrogation room in Ormaie, but it was impossible not to think of it.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
