lie detector
nounDefinition of lie detector
: a polygraph for detecting physiological evidence (such as change in heart rate) of the tension that accompanies lying
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Examples of lie detector in a Sentence
The murder suspect failed a lie detector test.
hooked the suspect up to a lie detector before interrogating him about the robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
The president of the White House Boys Organization, Jerry Cooper, has taken a lie detector test to prove his memories of Tidwell’s abuse. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Colson Whitehead, American Escape Artist," 30 July 2019 And by then more was known of Mr. Perot, who could be thin-skinned and meanspirited, who had subjected employees to moral codes and lie detector tests, who was drawn to conspiracy theories and had hired private detectives to chase his suspicions. — Robert D. Mcfadden, New York Times, "Ross Perot, Brash Texas Billionaire Who Ran for President, Dies at 89," 9 July 2019 Hole — the troubled, brilliant protagonist of 11 previous books by Norway’s Jo Nesbø — is both a lady killer and a veritable human lie detector. — Scott Timberg, latimes.com, "Nordic noir master Jo Nesbø takes another dark twist with 'Knife'," 10 July 2019 Its training manual—now in its fifth edition—was first published in 1962 by John Reid, a former Chicago detective and lie detector expert, and Northwestern University law professor Fred Inbau. — Douglas Starr, Science | AAAS, "This psychologist explains why people confess to crimes they didn’t commit," 13 June 2019 She had been prepared to talk to the police for months, submitting to a lie detector test in September 2017, a week before the Weinstein news broke. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "Aurora Perrineau Wanted to Be Known as an Actor. Instead, Her Name Got Dragged Into Scandal," 21 May 2019 The lie detector test determined that is a lie (Maury voice). — Stephen A. Crockett Jr., The Root, "Trump Just Can't Stop Lying About Crowd Size," 30 Apr. 2018 Since then the couple's been making out publicly all over the country, wearing lots of sweatpants, drinking coffee, and taking lie detector tests. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber May Have Just Confirmed They're Married," 18 Oct. 2018 For years, many employers required applicants to undergo lie detector tests to order to land a job. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, "The shaky science of lie detectors," 21 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lie detector.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for lie detector
lie detector
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of lie detector
: a device used to measure the heart rate, breathing, etc., in order to find out if someone (such as a person suspected of a crime) is being honest
See the full definition for lie detector in the English Language Learners Dictionary
lie detector
noun
\ ˈlī-di-ˌtek-tər
\
\
Medical Definition of lie detector
: a polygraph for detecting physiological evidence (as change in heart rate) of the tension that accompanies lying
lie detector
noun
lie de·tec·tor
Legal Definition of lie detector
: an instrument for detecting physiological evidence of the tension that accompanies lying — compare polygraph