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interpeller

to call out

verb an-tair-peh-LEH Rare
Communication Speech

Also means

to challenge

Usage Note

Interpeller has a range of intensities: a police officer interpelle a suspect (stops and questions them), a politician interpelle a minister (formally questions them in parliament), and in broader usage it means to call out or address someone sharply. In modern informal French ça m'interpelle has become fashionable to mean 'that speaks to me' or 'that makes me think', a usage sometimes criticised as a filler phrase.

Examples

"Le policier a interpellé le suspect."

Natural Translation

The police officer stopped and questioned the suspect.

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