query

1 of 2

noun

que·​ry ˈkwir-ē  ˈkwer- 

plural queries

1

: question, inquiry

2

: a question in the mind : doubt

3

: question mark sense 2

query

2 of 2

verb

queried; querying

transitive verb

1

: to ask questions of especially with a desire for authoritative information

2

: to ask questions about especially in order to resolve a doubt

3

: to put as a question

4

: to mark with a query

querier noun

Synonyms

Noun

• distrust
• distrustfulness
• doubt
• dubiety
• dubitation [archaic]
• incertitude
• misdoubt
• misgiving
• mistrust
• mistrustfulness
• reservation
• skepticism
• suspicion
• uncertainty

Verb

• challenge
• contest
• dispute
• impeach
• oppugn
• question

Choose the Right Synonym for query

ask, question, interrogate, query, inquire mean to address a person in order to gain information.

ask implies no more than the putting of a question.

ask for directions

question usually suggests the asking of series of questions.

questioned them about every detail of the trip

interrogate suggests formal or official systematic questioning.

the prosecutor interrogated the witness all day

query implies a desire for authoritative information or confirmation.

queried a librarian about the book

inquire implies a searching for facts or for truth often specifically by asking questions.

began to inquire of friends and teachers what career she should pursue

Examples of query in a Sentence

Noun

I have a query about my order.

The librarian responded to my query.

Verb

They conducted a survey in which several hundred people were queried about their dietary habits.

it seems odd that someone would want two stoves, so you'd better query that order

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On Google’s core business of search, Pichai didn’t share revenue figures related to experiments to summarize query results using generative AI. —Paresh Dave, WIRED, 26 Apr. 2024

Just typing what feels like a mundane health query into a search engine can be the first step in a journey that leads to disinformation, self-diagnosis, and severe anxiety. —Caroline Crampton, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024

Federal prison officials are not responding to questions about individual prisoners’ whereabouts, referring queries to the Bureau of Prisons’ online inmate locator. —Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2024

Meta declined to comment and referred queries to Apple. —Reuters, NBC News, 19 Apr. 2024

The survey was based on 600 fare queries at six different U.S. airlines. —Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024

Even post-sale, real estate agents and brokers are crucial advisors for their clients, providing ongoing support, answering queries, and offering guidance as people confront the challenges and delights of homeownership. —Tim Hur, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024

But reformers — including both progressive Democrats and libertarian-minded Republicans — want to add a requirement that prohibits warrantless queries in the repository for the contents of Americans’ communications, with certain narrow exceptions. —Charlie Savage, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024

The query leads into an emotional acoustic ballad that sees Beyoncé celebrating her children, twins Rumi and Sir and 12-year-old Blue Ivy. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2024

Verb

And then there is what’s called inferencing, or querying the models to actually use them. —Karen Weise, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2024

The House Judiciary Committee backed an amendment that would force U.S. officials to seek a warrant before querying communications made by an American, which national security-minded Republicans have largely opposed. —Fox News Staff, Fox News, 10 Apr. 2024

Both the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees are expected to offer up several amendments, with the latter aiming to impose new warrant requirements on the FBI prior to querying the 702 database for information on Americans. —Condé Nast, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024

Measurement and analytics teams are accustomed to controlling the gateways through which end users query available data. —Forrester, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

The caucus took the first step in this multipronged approach in December when its members sent a letter to each of the Fortune 500 companies querying them about their commitments to DEI. —Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024

The company said that the type of documents that can be queried by the AI tool can range from study guides to tax documents. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024

In Houston, medical staff queried Clough about her family history. —Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024

While there are limits on how those messages can be searched for and used, the F.B.I. has repeatedly violated those limits in recent years — including improperly querying for information about Black Lives Matter protesters and people suspected of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. —Charlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of earlier quere, from Latin quaere, imperative of quaerere to ask

First Known Use

Noun

1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

query

1 of 2 noun

que·​ry ˈkwi(ə)r-ē  ˈkwe(ə)r- 

plural queries

: question entry 1 sense 1a

query

2 of 2 verb

queried; querying

1

: to ask questions about especially in order to clear up doubts

2

: to put as a question

queried the matter to their teacher

3

: to ask questions of

queried the professor