as in lie detector
an instrument for detecting physical signs of the tension that goes with lying
intelligence agents were trained to fool the polygraph
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of polygraph
Anxiety, fear and nervousness can all cause false positives in a polygraph test.
—
Rupal Patel, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
That’s because victims may have stress and anxiety recounting their assault that the polygraph may interpret as deception.
—Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2026
The polygraph results were not admissible in court, so Perkins was not arrested at the time.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated March 21, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2026
At one point Gentile agreed to submit to a polygraph examination, presumably to demonstrate his denials were truthful.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for polygraph
Rupal Patel, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
That’s because victims may have stress and anxiety recounting their assault that the polygraph may interpret as deception.
—Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2026
The polygraph results were not admissible in court, so Perkins was not arrested at the time.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated March 21, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2026
At one point Gentile agreed to submit to a polygraph examination, presumably to demonstrate his denials were truthful.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for polygraph
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polygraph
lie detector
Noun
-
Though Earle left Cooper’s Unwell Network months before Johnson chimed in during her Vanity Fair lie detector test in June 2025, nothing was ever confirmed on what went down between the two women and why Earle parted ways with Cooper’s company in March 2025.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
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This is Ariana Grande’s, what, third time in a lie detector?—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polygraph.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polygraph. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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