interrogate

American  

[in-ter-uh-geyt] / ɪnˈtɛr əˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

interrogated, interrogating

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

   Synonyms:

   query

2. to examine by questions; question formally.

   The police captain interrogated the suspect.

3. 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.

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verb (used without object)

interrogated, interrogating

1. to ask questions, especially formally or officially.

   the right to interrogate.

interrogate British  

/ ɪnˈtɛrəˌɡeɪt /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

• interrogable adjective
• interrogatingly adverb
• interrogee noun
• reinterrogate verb
• uninterrogable adjective
• uninterrogated adjective

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; 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.

Example Sentences

It’s a culpability we should all interrogate, not immediately purge.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

"We are left to speculate some, as our ability to interrogate insulators stops a little," explained Dean -- their expertise is in transport measurements, and insulators don't transport a current.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2026

But a high-profile tragedy like this one gives us the opportunity to interrogate what our addiction treatment system may be getting wrong.

From Slate • Dec. 19, 2025

Planning permission for the embassy has previously been challenged amid fears that it could be used to spy on and interrogate dissidents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

I assure her I did not and run down the hall to my room before she can interrogate me further.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

Related Words

• examine
• grill
• investigate
• query
• quiz