a question; an inquiry. a question; an inquiry. mental reservation; doubt. mental reservation; doubt. Printing. a question mark (?), especially as added on a manuscript, proof sheet, or the like, indicating doubt as to some point in the text. Printing. a question mark (?), especially as added on a manuscript, proof sheet, or the like, indicating doubt as to some point in the text. 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. 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) queries , present (3rd person singular) queried , past participle, past querying present participle to ask or inquire about. No one queried his presence. to ask or inquire about. No one queried his presence. to question as doubtful or obscure. to query a statement. to question as doubtful or obscure. to query a statement. Printing. to mark (a manuscript, proof sheet, etc.) with a query. Printing. to mark (a manuscript, proof sheet, etc.) with a query. to ask questions of. to ask questions of. a question, esp one expressing doubt, uncertainty, or an objection a question, esp one expressing doubt, uncertainty, or an objection a less common name for question mark a less common name for question mark to express uncertainty, doubt, or an objection concerning (something) to express uncertainty, doubt, or an objection concerning (something) to express as a query "What's up now?" she queried to express as a query "What's up now?" she queried to put a question to (a person); ask to put a question to (a person); ask Other Word Forms outquery verb (used with object) unqueried adjective queryingly adverb Inflected Forms querying present Conjugated Forms have queried perfect has queried perfect am querying progressive are querying progressive is querying progressive have been querying perfect progressive has been querying perfect progressive had queried perfect was querying progressive were querying progressive had been querying perfect progressive will query simple will have queried perfect will be querying progressive will have been querying perfect progressive Origin of query

First recorded in 1625–35; alteration (with the influence of -y 3 ) of earlier quere, from Latin quaere quaere 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 Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide! Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use! Where the Red Fern Grows Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time! 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: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it opened an audit query to examine the process and technical data Tesla used to certify the Cybercab. From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026 Mary Johnson, an independent Social Security and Medicare policy analyst, said asking specific questions can be more helpful than simply inputting a general query when using AI tools. From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026 The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a query for comment. From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026 Zuckerberg also argues for allowing distillation, a controversial practice whereby developers query competing models to copy what they know. From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026 His query would hang in the air while she sprang over to peck him on the lips. From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou These chips power the text, images and video generated by the queries made by the world of the advanced AI models. From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026 The San Francisco-based AI lab also accused Chinese developers of deceptively using Claude to produce responses to user queries while simultaneously "distilling" that data to improve their own models. From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026 For months we’ve been hearing about “token limits,” or barriers that companies put in place to ensure individual employees aren’t running up massive AI bills on pointless queries . From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026 A county judge has even complained that Paxton’s office is not responding in a timely manner to queries about how the state wishes to proceed in court, now that multiple hemp businesses have filed lawsuits. From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026 Challenges, queries, and criticisms were fired at me by the usually objective and always alive and searching minds of undergraduate and graduate students, and their faculties. From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey Monday’s research queried people about their jobs, how often they use AI and how they use it. From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026 He queried aides about why Iran wasn’t backing down amid the unrelenting bombing campaign. From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026 Some have queried if it would be merited. From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026 We queried experts across sports medicine, personal training and physical therapy to devise easy routines comprising simple exercises you can do at home to test and train your balance. From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026 This was fascinating news, and I queried him on the particulars. From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver They found that such acceptance becomes more likely if the person is under time pressure, faces a complex task or doesn’t have a good understanding of what they are querying, among other factors. From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026 An October 2025 report from the Justice Department Inspector General found that the FBI has “implemented all of RISAA’s querying reforms” and that the number of noncompliant queries had been “reduced substantially.” From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026 Antonio was able to ask questions, including querying whether he was taken to hospital by air ambulance. From BBC ● May 16, 2025 Local folks had gathered around a loading dock to watch reporters sitting in swings and rockers while querying the future president. From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024 “Going around, querying publishers, trying to find an agent. I haven’t done it, and I am not interested in doing it.” From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell 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. Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer. You'll remember them forever.