interrogation

noun

in·​ter·​ro·​ga·​tion in-ˌter-ə-ˈgā-shən 

plural interrogations

: the act of interrogating someone or something: such as

a

: a formal and systematic questioning

She conducted a skillful interrogation of the witness.

It was old-fashioned interrogation and eavesdropping that first led U.S. intelligence agents to the … plotters.

—Michael Isikoff

And during interrogation, instead of just listening for inconsistencies in what is said, agents are being taught to look for minute physical reactions on the faces of people being questioned.

—Ann Davis et al.

b

: the sending of an electronic signal intended to trigger a particular response from something (such as a transponder)

A transponder will send an identifying coded signal in response to a transmitted interrogation …

—Jim Sparks

The airborne equipment measures the time between the interrogation and the return signal, and converts this time measurement into a mileage reading on our instrument panel, on either a dial or digital counter.

—Joseph W. Benkert

interrogational

in-ˌter-ə-ˈgā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of interrogation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Asylum claims, prison, a police interrogation room or a hospital waiting room, for example. — Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026

But while longtime members of SVU’s fandom might be swept away by the possibility of sitting at Benson’s desk or strutting around the station’s interrogation rooms, Giddish’s sons think the whole thing is pretty ho-hum. — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2026

In court on Monday, Rajan Joshi, Smith’s attorney who called the case circumstantial the day after the arrest, said the conversation was akin to an interrogation. — Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026

Pausing interrogations based on the lists does not prevent the government from conducting legitimate investigations of potential voter fraud, Martinez-Olguin said. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing interrogation

• interrogation point

Rhymes for interrogation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration