query
Americannoun
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a question; an inquiry.
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mental reservation; doubt.
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Printing. a question mark (?), especially as added on a manuscript, proof sheet, or the like, indicating doubt as to some point in the text.
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an inquiry from a writer to an editor of a magazine, newspaper, etc., regarding the acceptability of or interest in an idea for an article, news story, or the like: usually presented in the form of a letter that outlines or describes the projected piece.
verb (used with object)
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to ask or inquire about.
No one queried his presence.
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to question as doubtful or obscure.
to query a statement.
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Printing. to mark (a manuscript, proof sheet, etc.) with a query.
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to ask questions of.
noun
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a question, esp one expressing doubt, uncertainty, or an objection
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a less common name for question mark
verb
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to express uncertainty, doubt, or an objection concerning (something)
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to express as a query
"What's up now?" she queried
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to put a question to (a person); ask
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of query
First recorded in 1625–35; alteration (with the influence of -y 3 ) of earlier quere, from Latin quaere quaere
Explanation
A query is a question, or the search for a piece of information. The Latin root quaere means "to ask" and it's the basis of the words inquiry, question, quest, request, and query. Query often fits the bill when referring to Internet searches, polite professional discourse, and subtle pleas. You could query as to the whereabouts of the lavatory, but you'd sound a bit prim and be better off asking "Where's the toilet?" If your job entails dealing with annoying questions and complaints, you could make it sound better by proclaiming, "I respond to customer queries."
Vocabulary lists containing query
For Grilled Cheese Day, Vocab with a Twist
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Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The underlying issue should be addressed to avoid digging further away from the escape,” said Landon Tan, a certified financial planner and founder of Nyack, N.Y.,-based Query Capital.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026
Query what role for the judiciary will remain thereafter.
From Salon • May 28, 2024
In an abandoned sector of the Grid that’s evolved in weird ways, your character is a “detective program” named Query assigned to investigate a break-in and robbery.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2023
Sir Isaac Newton, in Query 31, a section in his 1717 work “Opticks,” listed and ranked chemical compounds according to their reactivity.
From New York Times • Aug. 27, 2019
Query: How does the never to be differ from what never was?
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
