Synonyms

truth serum

American

[trooth seer-uhm] / ˈtruθ ˌsɪər əm /

Often truth drug

noun

a drug, as the barbiturate thiopental, that induces in the subject a desire to talk or a state of heightened suggestibility, used in psychotherapy and in interrogation to discover repressed or consciously withheld information.

Etymology

Origin of truth serum

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

See Examples For:

truth serum

As the YouTube hit demonstrates, hot sauce isn’t just for daredevils and masochists: It’s a truth serum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025

“You can put me on the rack, the truth serum, whatever. I did not do it. … I did not shoot those people,” Titus said.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

Now it was being recast as a kind of truth serum, a tool of deep personal introspection.

From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2021

“COVID,” he says, “is a truth serum bringing it all out.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2020

They don’t know that, a few hours ago, all of us were inoculated against truth serum.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

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