interrogate

American

[in-ter-uh-geyt] / ɪnˈtɛr əˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

interrogated, interrogating

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)

interrogated, interrogating

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

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-

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.

“We already knew he was a controversial figure, and we have to now further confront this and interrogate him head-on.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

With such blatant motives, the press can either interrogate this relationship or help legitimize it.

From Salon • Jan. 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

Viktor and Rolf interrogate the tropes of fashion by inventively manipulating the tropes of fashion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 1, 2025

I would probably interrogate them to see if they were one of the abosom, one of the Nsamanfo, or some monster in disguise.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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