interrogate
[in-ter-uh-geyt]
- to ask questions of (a person), sometimes to seek answers or information that the person questioned considers personal or secret.
- to examine by questions; question formally: The police captain interrogated the suspect.
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- to ask questions, especially formally or officially: the right to interrogate.
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Origin of interrogate
1475–85; < Latin interrogātus past participle of interrogāre to question, examine, equivalent to inter- inter- + rogā(re) to ask + -tus past participle suffix
Synonyms
See more synonyms for interrogate on Thesaurus.com1. query.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for interrogating
Contemporary Examples
And few people, myself included, look forward to interrogating their beliefs that deeply.
She said Shon had “freaked out” after I left, interrogating her about who I was dating.
He immediately went into reaction mode, and I realized that I was interrogating him the way Elizabeth did for years.
He was overwhelmed in a prison revolt while interrogating prisoners.
The First American: Excerpt from Henry Crumpton’s ‘The Art of Intelligence’Henry A. Crumpton
May 14, 2012
Historical Examples
The second accusation he meets by interrogating Meletus, who is present and can be interrogated.
ApologyPlato
This is the case of all statements obtained by interrogating witnesses.
Introduction to the Study of HistoryCharles V. Langlois
The detective did not appear to have heard the protest of the man he was interrogating.
The CreviceWilliam John Burns and Isabel Ostrander
I had no difficulty in interrogating the dame du caf about my new acquaintance.
Arthur O'LearyCharles James Lever
The interrogating miscreant on this said, "Why, thy father is a heretic!"
Fox's Book of MartyrsJohn Foxe
interrogate
- to ask questions (of), esp to question (a witness in court, spy, etc) closely
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin interrogāre to question, examine, from rogāre to ask
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for interrogating
interrogate
v.
late 15c., a back-formation from interrogation, or else from Latin interrogatus, past participle of interrogare "to ask, question" (see interrogation). Related: Interrogated; interrogating.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper