SINCE 1828
interrogation
noun
in·ter·ro·ga·tion
| \ in-ˌter-ə-ˈgā-shən
\
\
plural interrogations
Definition of interrogation
: 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)
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
Other Words from interrogation
interrogational
\ in-ˌter-ə-ˈgā-shnəl
, -shə-nᵊl \
adjective
, -shə-nᵊl \
adjective
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on interrogation
What made you want to look up interrogation? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words for Summer: A Quiz
-
- Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share interrogation
Resources for interrogation