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: As with so many land mines in our broken healthcare system, having a reliable and trustworthy practitioner to consult and query regarding the reality of compounded medications is the best solution. From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026 Before retiring the officer provided a statement that he had called her to advise of the intended police response to a media query, and about how information about the case could be reported and used. From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026 She was sitting down in her stately Oaxaca home when we connected over Zoom, and smiled widely the moment I brought up my metaphysical query . From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026 They knew every room was bugged, every driver was an informant, every bit of luggage was open to query . From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026 If Rahel tried to say something, Ammu would interrupt with a new thought or query . From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy Google’s deployment of AI in search has led to “material new growth” in the overall volume of queries, he said, and it has also been useful for marketers looking to find higher converting leads. From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026 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 He queries me with a series of head tilts. From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali Monday’s research queried people about their jobs, how often they use AI and how they use it. From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 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 After the call, analyst Brian Finneran launched an informal poll on his Bloomberg Terminal in which he queried investors and other analysts about their preferences. From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026 "You don't know whether you're completely trustworthy?" he queried . From BBC ● May 15, 2026 “Fear you not the soldiery?” queried Denis anxiously. From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli Bank regulators, too, have stepped up their focus on the risks posed by the industry, with the Federal Reserve querying banks about their lending and exposure to private credit. From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026 Several cast doubt on Burnham's popularity among the Parliamentary Labour Party, with some querying if he would have support from the 80-odd MPs needed to trigger a leadership contest. From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026 Wade, he suggested, may channel its efforts toward querying the morality and legality of editing human genes in the womb. From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025 "Some were querying 'have we reached peak Greggs?' and we have gone out...to demonstrate that this is not the case," the food retail boss said. From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2025 "I'll be querying them about the carriage, showing the false orders Willem created. I'll draw it out as long as I can, but you'll have barely any time, and they absolutely cannot see you." From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse 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.