truth serum

[ trooth seer-uhm ]

noun

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of truth serum¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

“I often said Covid was the truth serum,” she said of the pandemic.

From New York Times

Remarkables call it truth serum, ’cause it’s one of the few things that breaks through illusions.

From Literature

“Oral argument is like truth serum. Under the stress of their questioning, you can’t become someone you aren’t,” she said in an email.

From Seattle Times

When informed of the winter shelter, Ellis said he didn’t want to go there, launching into a long discussion of truth serums and the power of his mind.

From Los Angeles Times

“If opening day was today, he would certainly be running out there in center, which I know he loves. I think if you put truth serum in him, that’s what he’d want to do, regardless.”

From Seattle Times