Meanings
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1
verb
formal: to interrupt or address someone with a question or challenge
She waited for a pause before she chose to interpellate the lecturer.
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2
verb
politics: to question a minister or official formally about government policy or conduct
Opposition members moved to interpellate the minister about the missing funds.
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3
verb
social theory: to address or position a person as a particular kind of subject
The slogan attempts to interpellate each listener as a loyal citizen.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Latin interpellare, 'to interrupt, disturb, or address,' combining inter-, 'between,' with pellere, 'to drive or strike.' Parliamentary use developed for formally questioning an official; twentieth-century theory extended the word to the social act of hailing someone into an identity.