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

The initial conviction was overturned in 2024 after an appeals court ruled the jury had been allowed to hear contested portions of a police interrogation of Sophia Negroponte and testimony from a prosecution witness questioning her credibility. —ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026

Well, more like interrogations. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026

Geeta Gandbhir's The Perfect Neighbor does so by cleverly piecing together police body camera footage, interrogation video and audio from witness interviews to dissect two years of events that led to Owens' death and Lorincz's subsequent manslaughter conviction. —Davi Merchan, NPR, 4 Mar. 2026

The indecency of this extraordinary line of interrogation says more about the intrusive thoughts of Carlson and Peck than about Buttigieg. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 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