interrogate
verb
-ˈte-rə-\
Definition of interrogate
1 : to question formally and systematically
2 : to give or send out a signal to (a device, such as a transponder) for triggering an appropriate response
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Other Words from interrogate
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noun
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noun
-shə-nᵊl
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adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for interrogate
Synonyms
ask, grill, inquire (of), query, question, quiz
Antonyms
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Examples of interrogate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Must every patient be interrogated for a recent history of foreign travel? — Maryn Mckenna, WIRED, "The Strange and Curious Case of the Deadly Superbug Yeast," 13 July 2018 Some have been interrogated by U.S. personnel inside the facilities, the AP found. — Maggie Michael, The Seattle Times, "Yemen demands Emirates shut down prisons where abuses rife," 9 July 2018 The incidents have given rise to the hashtags #LivingWhileBlack and #LivingWhileBrown and often end with a black or brown person being interrogated by police or being carted off in handcuffs. — Cleve R. Wootson Jr., OrlandoSentinel.com, "Woman threatens to call police on 8-year-old selling water for trip to Disneyland," 24 June 2018 This simple plot device allows a fuzzy window onto the tortured soul of Calvin and interrogates the reader as well. — Mark Peters, Chicago Reader, "Nick Drnaso’s second graphic novel, Sabrina, examines the perils of living too long in your own head," 22 May 2018 The dust jacket of Pulitzer Prize-winning Shakespeare scholar Stephen Greenblatt's new book Tyrant pulses vivid red, and the book asks sharp questions about the ways William Shakespeare interrogates the idea of political authority in his plays. — Steve Donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Tyrant' examines the evidence of popular attraction to demagogues as seen in Shakepeare's plays," 15 May 2018 In another case of doing anything simple while being Black, a Black Yale University student was interrogated by campus police officers after a white student reported her on Monday for napping in her dorm's common room. — Paula Rogo, Essence.com, "Napping While Black? White Yale Student Called Cops On Black Student Sleeping In Common Room," 10 May 2018 Shimron was detained for questioning last year, as were a range of senior military officers and other Netanyahu advisers, while Molcho has been interrogated. — Matthew Campbell, Bloomberg.com, "Benjamin Netanyahu Could Be Heading for a Fifth Term. Or to Court," 14 June 2018 But Haspel's nomination was contentious because of her role in a former CIA program to brutally detain and interrogate terror suspects at covert sites abroad following 9/11. — Lisa Mascaro, Fox News, "Senate votes to confirm Haspel as 1st female CIA director," 17 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interrogate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for interrogate
interrogate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of interrogate
: to ask (someone) questions in a thorough and often forceful way
See the full definition for interrogate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
interrogate
verb
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Kids Definition of interrogate
: to question thoroughly Police interrogated a suspect.
interrogate
transitive verb
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Legal Definition of interrogate
: to question formally and systematically
especially
: to gather information from (a suspect) by means that are reasonably likely to elicit incriminating responses — see also miranda rights
Note:
Under Rhode Island v. Innis, 446 U.S. 291 (1980), interrogating includes not just express questioning, but also any words or actions that the police should know are reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response. Asking questions that are normally asked in the course of arrest or booking (such as questions about name or age) is not considered interrogation.
Other Words from interrogate
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noun
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noun
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