interrogation

The word “interrogation” means the process of questioning someone closely, especially by police or authorities. In plain terms, formal or intense questioning, or, less commonly, a question mark.

“Interrogation” is pronounced ihn-tehr-uh-GAY-shuhn (/ɪnˌteɹ.əˈɡeɪ.ʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “interrogation” used in a sentence: “The interrogation lasted three hours before he admitted to the theft.”

“Interrogation” is a noun.

The word “interrogation” comes from Latin. From Latin interrogatio, from interrogare, "to ask or inquire.".

“Interrogation” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C2 level.

“Interrogation” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the process of questioning someone closely, especially by police or authorities.

An interrogation involves questioning someone closely, especially by police or authorities, often in a formal or adversarial setting aimed at extracting information or a confession. An interview is a more neutral term for a conversation involving questions and answers, used in contexts like job hiring or journalism, without the confrontational tone interrogation usually implies.

Interrogation can also refer to a question mark, sometimes called a point of interrogation, reflecting the word's root connection to asking questions. This sense is less common in everyday speech but appears in some formal or older writing about punctuation.

While interrogation is most strongly associated with police or authorities questioning suspects, the underlying meaning of close, probing questioning can extend to other high-pressure situations, such as a strict cross-examination in a courtroom. It generally implies a more intense and formal process than a casual conversation.