polygraph
/ˈpɒliɡɹæf/
polygraph noun: a device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being posed to a subject, in an attempt to detect deception.
Noun
polygraph (plural polygraphs)
- A device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being posed to a subject, in an attempt to detect deception.
- It used to be just a plain office with a chair and some instruments on a table. Then they got the new, fancy polygraph system.1992, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, page 270
- Synonyms:
- lie detector
- A mechanical instrument for multiplying copies of a writing, resembling multiple pantographs.
- Synonyms:
- manifold writer, autopen
- A collection of different works, either by one or several authors.
- A group of letters that represent a single phoneme.
- Synonyms:
- multigraph
- Any group of letters treated as a single item.
- A polygraph consists of an unspecified number of adjacent letters. A polygraph need not be recognisable as a word in a language but if we are attempting to decipher a message which is expected to be in English and we find the heptagraph MEETING it is much more promising than if we find a heptagraph...2002, Robert Churchhouse, Codes and Ciphers: Julius Caesar, the Enigma, and the Internet, page 3
- An author who writes on many subjects.
- A multidimensional directed graph.
- Synonyms:
- computad
Verb
polygraph (third-person singular simple present polygraphs, present participle polygraphing, simple past and past participle polygraphed)
- To administer a polygraph test to.
- The FBI polygraphed the suspect but learned nothing because they already knew he was lying.
polygraph meaning in Tamil, Bengali and Persian
polygraph in Tamil
- பொய்யறியும் சோதனை
polygraph in Bengali
- মিথ্যা ধরার যন্ত্র, লাই ডিটেক্টর
polygraph in Persian
- device to discern if a subject is lying
- پلیگراف poligerâf
Synonyms of polygraph
Forms of polygraph
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | polygraphs |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | polygraphs |
| present participle | polygraphing |
| past participle | polygraphed |
| past | polygraphed |
Origin of polygraph
From poly- + -graph.
Words formed from polygraph
Words that rhyme with polygraph
14 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about polygraph
- What does polygraph mean?
- Polygraph means a device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being posed to a subject, in an attempt to detect deception.
- What is polygraph in Tamil?
- Polygraph in Tamil is பொய்யறியும் சோதனை. See Polygraph meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is polygraph?
- Polygraph can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce polygraph?
- Polygraph is pronounced /ˈpɒliɡɹæf/.
- What is the plural of polygraph?
- The plural of polygraph is polygraphs.
Words near polygraph in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: polygraph (page history and authors); polygraph (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); polygraph (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-polygraph.wav.
Cite this entry: “polygraph.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/polygraph. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.