polygraph
noun
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With its graph- root, polygraph indicates that it writes out several different results. A polygraph's output consists of a set of squiggly lines on a computer screen, each indicating one function being tested. The functions most commonly measured are blood pressure, breathing rate, pulse, and perspiration, all of which tend to increase when you lie. Polygraphs have been in use since 1924, and have gotten more sensitive over the years, though many experts still believe that they're unreliable and that a prepared liar can fool the machine. They're used not only for law enforcement but perhaps more often by employers--often the police department itself!--who don't want to hire someone who has broken the law in the past but won't admit to it.
Examples of polygraph in a Sentence
Simone Weichselbaum, NBC News, 1 Aug. 2024
My office, along with several members of the command staff, personnel unit, our polygraph operator, public information officer, and budget personnel are located in this building.
—Jim Dewees, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2024
Then, on May 16, the couple’s granddaughter sat through a polygraph test, the warrant states.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 July 2024
Reyes passed a polygraph test and was never charged with a crime in connection to the Papini case.
—Emily Moffet, ABC News, 28 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for polygraph 
Dictionary Entries Near polygraph
Cite this Entry
“Polygraph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polygraph. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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