question mark
Americannoun
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question marks
plural
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Also called interrogation point. Also called interrogation mark. a punctuation mark indicating a question: usually, as in English, the mark (?) placed after a question.
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something unanswered or unknown.
His identity is still a question mark to most of us.
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an anglewing butterfly, Polygonia interrogationis, having a silver marking that resembles a question mark on the underside of each hindwing.
noun
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the punctuation mark ? , used at the end of questions and in other contexts where doubt or ignorance is implied
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this mark used for any other purpose, as to draw attention to a possible mistake, as in a chess commentary
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an element of doubt or uncertainty
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of question mark
First recorded in 1865–70
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.
“We knew comedically she would crush it. The only question mark was about who she was as an actress,” says Lawrence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
“The question mark is how the United States would respond in that case,” said Heather Conley, senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, on a possible Russian incursion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Although we’ve moved on since that point, I think there still is a question mark in investors’ minds as to whether Masino understands the Cracker Barrel business intimately.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“If there is a correction around that, there is a big question mark about how long the megadeal engine can carry on,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
There wasn’t any question mark in his voice, but she whispered, “Well, I...well, all right,” and I heard her get up.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
