Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

sixty-four-dollar question

American  
[siks-tee-fawr-dol-er kwes-chuhn, -fohr-] / ˈsɪks tiˌfɔrˈdɒl ər ˈkwɛs tʃən, -ˌfoʊr- /
Or $64 question

noun

  1. the critical or basic question or problem.

    Whether the measure will get through Congress this session or not is the sixty-four-dollar question.

Etymology

Origin of sixty-four-dollar question

From the fact that 64 dollars was the largest prize on a popular radio quiz show in the 1940s

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.

See Examples For:

She sat ramrod straight as if she were on television, going for the sixty-four-dollar question.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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.

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com