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)

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

There was the feeling that this was for revenge, not arrest or interrogation, because there was nothing even according to all their racist laws to charge me with. —Kyle Buchanan, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

The fact that a person is allowed to write a falsehood and take down an entire community with nary a hint of interrogation is damaging. —David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2025

On Friday, the opening day of the competition, the inventors had set up shop onstage at the Ferst Center for the Arts, in preparation for their demos and subsequent critical interrogations. —Matthew Sherrill, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025

After catching both the trafficker’s brother and a henchman, Maggie played the two of them against each other in interrogation. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing interrogation

• interrogation point