question time

American

noun

Parliamentary Procedure.

a time set aside in a session during which members of a parliament may question a minister or ministers regarding state affairs.

question time British

noun

(in parliamentary bodies of the British type) a period of time set aside each day for members to question government ministers

"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

Etymology

Origin of question time

First recorded in 1850–55

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.

Both these opposition leaders catalogued SNP shortcomings during the last Holyrood question time before the election.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed satisfaction about the Hungarian court’s decision after announcing it during a question time in the lower house.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2024

Mr. Rogers offered Mr. Clyde the bulk of his question time for the grilling, after noting that the record-setting levels of military assistance required “an unprecedented level of oversight by Congress.”

From New York Times • Feb. 28, 2023

“We are on the verge of seeing a possible mass dismissal of researchers this year,” Tomoko Tamura, a member of the legislature’s upper house, said during a May parliamentary question time on the issue.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 5, 2022

Irish readiness and repartee made question time an overwhelmingly Irish divertissement.

From Ireland Since Parnell by Sheehan, D. D. (Daniel Desmond)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023