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question

[ kwes-chuhn ]

/ ˈkwɛs tʃən /

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See synonyms for: question / questioned / questioning / questions on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sentence in an interrogative form, addressed to someone in order to get information in reply.

a problem for discussion or under discussion; a matter for investigation.

a matter of some uncertainty or difficulty; problem (usually followed by of): It was simply a question of time.

a subject of dispute or controversy.

a proposal to be debated or voted on, as in a meeting or a deliberative assembly.

the procedure of putting a proposal to vote.

Politics. a problem of public policy submitted to the voters for an expression of opinion.

Law.

a controversy that is submitted to a judicial tribunal or administrative agency for decision.
the interrogation by which information is secured.
Obsolete. judicial examination or trial.

the act of asking or inquiring; interrogation; query.

inquiry into or discussion of some problem or doubtful matter.

verb (used with object)

to ask (someone) a question; ask questions of; interrogate.

to ask or inquire.

to make a question of; doubt: He questioned her sincerity.

to challenge or dispute: She questioned the judge's authority in the case.

verb (used without object)

to ask a question or questions.

OTHER WORDS FOR question

1 inquiry, query, interrogation.

11 query, examine.

See synonyms for question on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR question

1, 11 answer, reply.

See antonyms for question on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR QUESTION

How This Teacher Remembers Her Most Memorable Student Question

A couple years ago, one of this teacher's students asked her a question that really threw her for a loop. Do you know the answer?

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QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about question

beg the question. beg¹ (def. 9).

beyond question, beyond dispute; without doubt: It was, beyond question, a magnificent performance.Also beyond all question .

call in / into question,

to dispute; challenge.
to cast doubt upon; question: This report calls into question all previous research on the subject.

in question,

under consideration.
in dispute.

out of the question, not to be considered; unthinkable; impossible: She thought about a trip to Spain but dismissed it as out of the question.

Origin of question

First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) Middle English questio(u)n, questiun, from Anglo-French questiun, Middle French question, from Latin quaestiōn- (stem of quaestiō ), equivalent to quaes-, stem of quaerere “to ask” + -tiōn- -tion; (verb) late Middle English, from Middle French questioner, derivative of the noun

synonym study for question

12. See inquire.

OTHER WORDS FROM question

ques·tion·er, nouncoun·ter·ques·tion, noun, verboutquestion, verb (used with object)pre·ques·tion, verb (used with object)

re·ques·tion, verb (used with object)sub·ques·tion, noun

Words nearby question

quesadilla, qué será, será, Quesnay, queso, quest, question, questionable, questionary, questioning, questionless, question mark

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use question in a sentence

If you can’t find any, try commenting on the videos you have questions about.
Use TikTok to build the perfect workout|Sandra Gutierrez G.|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
It hinted that quantum physicists had hit on the right answer to the wrong question.
How Mathematical ‘Hocus-Pocus’ Saved Particle Physics|Charlie Wood|September 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine
It’s just a question of finding them and working out which are most useful to you.
Get around your phone more quickly than you already are|David Nield|September 16, 2020|Popular-Science
Interviewers ask useless questions, make snap judgments, and favor candidates with backgrounds that are similar to their own.
The startup Adam Grant is betting on to fix bias in hiring is out of stealth mode|Sarah Todd|September 15, 2020|Quartz

Before going through all these steps, make sure that the URL in question is not canonicalized, no-indexed, blocked in robots etc.
How to earn your place in Google’s index in 2020|Bartosz Góralewicz|September 14, 2020|Search Engine Land
He also bragged about earning a PhD, a point Smerconish did not question.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She narrowed her eyes, bit her lip as if to chew over the question, and whisked some stray blond hairs away from her face.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her post-crown fame, though, only further begs the question: Why has there not been another Jewish Miss America since 1945?
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We were barely into the appetizer when he asked a fairly basic question—where did my family live?
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The woman in question, meanwhile, has business of her own to take care of—she is reported to be shopping a memoir.
From Playboy Prince to Dirty Old Man?|Tom Sykes|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There was no doubt thought of his own loss in this question: yet there was, one may hope, a germ of solicitude for the mother too.
Children's Ways|James Sully
In fact, except for Ramona's help, it would have been a question whether even Alessandro could have made Baba work in harness.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
It's an idle question, I know; wise men and musty philosophers say that regrets are foolish.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Accordingly, the question "How far does the note issue under the new system seem likely to prove an elastic one?"
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
The moment was an awkward one, and Cynthia wished madly that she had not been prompted to ask that unfortunate question.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman

British Dictionary definitions for question

question

/ (ˈkwɛstʃən) /

noun

a form of words addressed to a person in order to elicit information or evoke a response; interrogative sentence

a point at issueit's only a question of time until she dies; the question is how long they can keep up the pressure

a difficulty or uncertainty; doubtful pointa question of money; there's no question about it

an act of asking
an investigation into some problem or difficulty

a motion presented for debate by a deliberative body

put the question to require members of a deliberative assembly to vote on a motion presented

law a matter submitted to a court or other tribunal for judicial or quasi-judicial decision

question of fact (in English law) that part of the issue before a court that is decided by the jury

question of law (in English law) that part of the issue before a court that is decided by the judge

beg the question

to avoid giving a direct answer by posing another question
to assume the truth of that which is intended to be provedSee petitio principii

beyond (all) question beyond (any) dispute or doubt

call in or into question

to make (something) the subject of disagreement
to cast doubt upon the validity, truth, etc, of (something)

in question under discussionthis is the man in question

out of the question beyond consideration; unthinkable or impossiblethe marriage is out of the question

pop the question informal to propose marriage

verb (mainly tr)

to put a question or questions to (a person); interrogate

to make (something) the subject of dispute or disagreement

to express uncertainty about the validity, truth, etc, of (something); doubt

Derived forms of question

questioner, noun

Word Origin for question

C13: via Old French from Latin quaestiō, from quaerere to seek

usage for question

The question whether should be used rather than the question of whether or the question as to whether: this leaves open the question whether he acted correctly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with question

question

see ask a stupid question; beg the question; beside the point (question); beyond question; burning question; call in question; in question; leading question; loaded question; open question; out of the question; pop the question; rhetorical question; without question.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.