truth serum
[ trooth seer-uh m ]
/ ˈtruθ ˌsɪər əm /
noun
a drug, as the barbiturate thiopental, that induces in the subject a desire to talk or a state of heightened suggestibility, used in psychotherapy and in interrogation to discover repressed or consciously withheld information.
Often
truth drug
[trooth druhg] /ˈtruθ ˌdrʌg/.
Compare
narcoanalysis.
Origin of truth serum
First recorded in 1920–25
Words nearby truth serum
British Dictionary definitions for truth drug
truth drug
truth serum
noun
informal
any of various drugs supposed to have the property of making people tell the truth, as by relaxing them
Medical definitions for truth drug
truth serum
[ trōōth ]
n.
Any of various hypnotic or anesthetic drugs, such as scopolamine or thiopental sodium, used to induce a subject under questioning to talk without inhibition.