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

Or perhaps some of the prisoners from Haarlem had been interrogated and the truth about our group was known.

From Literature

“When I have party meetings and they bring executives that are likely to be witnesses, I interrogate the executives,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

In one scene she attends a party with John Maynard Keynes, and she interrogates the economist much more avidly than she does the giant blue angel who materializes in Geoffrey’s bedroom.

From The Wall Street Journal

Starting Sunday the funeral home holding his body was surrounded by dozens of soldiers, national guardsmen, and police who interrogated anyone who came close.

From Barron's

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