questioning

1 of 2

noun

ques·​tion·​ing ˈkwes-chə-niŋ How to pronounce questioning (audio)
ˈkwesh-
plural questionings
: the activity or process of asking questions
Illocutionary acts … such as stating, questioning, promising, or commanding.Ronald Wardhaugh
… serious questionings of the relation between art and life …J. Dennis Huston
Her folks and very pregnant sister met us at the restaurant, and it didn't take long for me to warm up to them. After sweating through a few rounds of questioning, I felt a little more at ease …Cosmopolitan
The time had also passed for any further questioning about what genes were. The name of the game was DNA.James D. Watson et al.
often : judicial interrogation
As she continued her questioning, she found herself pounding the witness stand, her voice rising in accusation until it was a scream. Carol Lynn Mithers
The FBI has seized your computers and brought you in for questioning. Graham P. Collins
CNN made a disconcerting habit of breaking away for commercials without regard to what was happening in the court—often in the middle of a line of questioning. David Hiltbrand

questioning

2 of 2

adjective

1
: expressing or implying a question
a questioning look
… looking at her with a questioning and rather startled gaze.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2
: inclined to ask questions or seek information : inquisitive
The changes of direction are partly explained by this questioning attitude, and partly by his having written the book over twenty years.Sarah Bakewell
For a man with as questioning a mind as Charles Darwin's there was no danger of mental vegetation.Ronald W. Clark
3
: uncertain about or engaged in exploring one's own sexual or gender identity
Suburban Connecticut's first support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youths had just begun, and Alex was proving how desperately it was needed.Dan Woog
Facebook provides more than 50 options beyond "male" and "female" for users to describe their gender identity, from "gender questioning" and "neither" to "androgynous."Chicago Tribune
questioningly adverb
I stared questioningly at Mama, not really understanding. Mildred D. Taylor
The bartender came over and looked questioningly at Julie. "I'll have a Scotch sour on the rocks," she said. Robert B. Parker

Examples of questioning in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For Barnett, passion for the cause surmounted the fatigue from two days of intense questioning. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 In the video, Whistler is confused by the line of questioning. Alex Marshall, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Porter, a protege of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren who flipped a swing district in Orange County, is a 50-year-old minivan-driving single mother known for her tough questioning and use of whiteboards during congressional hearings. Nikole Killion, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 Officers took a subject of interest into custody near the scene for further questioning. Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2024 The father was blocked from speaking further on the subject after the prosecution objected to the line of questioning. Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 Edwards was taken into custody for questioning, but he was later released due to a lack of evidence, WEWS reported. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Mitchell is no stranger to high profile political battles, having been hired by Senate Republicans to lead the questioning in the Supreme Court nomination fight that ended with Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation in 2018. David K. Li, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2024 Finally, the stocky attorney arrived and settled in for hours of questioning. USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'questioning.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of questioning was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near questioning

Cite this Entry

“Questioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/questioning. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on questioning

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!