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questioning

/ˈkwɛstʃɪnɪŋ/
/ˈkwɛstʃɪnɪŋ/
IPA guide

Other forms: questionings

Questioning is an appeal or demand for an answer, or for more information. Sometimes the police will bring a witness to a crime into the station for questioning.

When you participate in questioning, you may very well have a questioning look on your face. As an adjective, questioning can mean "curious," "confused or perplexed," or even "skeptical." If you show up at school in a clown costume, your teachers and friends might look at you in a questioning way — or they may dive right into the questioning, demanding: "What on earth are you wearing?"

Definitions of questioning
  1. noun
    a request for information
    synonyms: inquiring
    see moresee less
    types:
    challenge
    questioning a statement and demanding an explanation
    enquiry, inquiry, interrogation, query, question
    an instance of questioning
    examination, interrogation, interrogatory
    formal systematic questioning
    catechism
    a series of questions put to an individual to elicit their views
    deposition
    (law) a pretrial interrogation of a witness; usually conducted in a lawyer's office
    inquisition
    a severe interrogation (often violating the rights or privacy of individuals)
    third degree
    interrogation often accompanied by torture to extort information or a confession
    cross-examination
    (law) close questioning of a hostile witness in a court of law to discredit or throw a new light on the testimony already provided in direct examination
    direct examination
    (law) the initial questioning of a witness by the party that called the witness
    redirect examination, reexamination
    (law) questioning of a witness by the party that called the witness after that witness has been subject to cross-examination
    interview
    the questioning of a person (or a conversation in which information is elicited); often conducted by journalists
    debriefing
    report of a mission or task
    type of:
    asking, request
    the verbal act of requesting
  2. adjective
    perplexed (as if being expected to know something that you do not know)
    synonyms: quizzical
    perplexed
    full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
  3. adjective
    marked by or given to doubt
    distrustful
    having or showing distrust
  4. adjective
    showing curiosity
    curious
    eager to investigate and learn or learn more (sometimes about others' concerns)
Pronunciation
US
/ˈkwɛstʃɪnɪŋ/
UK
/ˈkwɛstʃɪnɪŋ/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘questioning'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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