Meaning

(obsolete) To interrupt (someone) so as to inform or question (that person about something)..

Definitions by Sense

1. (obsolete) To interrupt (someone) so as to inform or question (that person about something).
2. (philosophy) To address (a person) in a way that presupposes a particular identification of them; to give (a person) an identity (which may or may not be accurate).
3. (transitive, chiefly politics) To question (someone) formally concerning official or governmental policy or business.

Example Sentences

[…] a Master of Ceremonies' words "Ladies and gentlemen" […] interpellates those being addressed as an audience, and one that is differentiated by gender.

[…] the question may be whether the individual should let herself be interpellated as a feminist, a Christian or a worker. Perhaps all of these possibilities seem attractive, but they point in different directions […]

[…] whereas the Palestinian subjects are interpellated as: the martyr... a young Palestinian... a Palestinian teenager.

After the gentleman and Senator [Mariano Jesús] Cuenco interpellated me, I knew already that my bill was hopeless. That is why I presented that bill on February 4th, but it slept the sleep of the just in the Committee on Education.

Word Forms

• interpellates
• interpellating
• interpellated

Related Words

When Should You Use Interpellate?

Use interpellate when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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