wild card
noun
1
: an unknown or unpredictable factor
2
: one picked to fill a leftover playoff or tournament berth after regularly qualifying competitors have all been determined
3
usually wildcard
: a symbol (such as ? or *) used in a keyword database search to represent the presence of zero, one, or more than one unspecified characters
Examples of wild card in a Sentence
The joker is a wild card.
Taxes are the wild card in this election.
The team made it into the play-offs as the wild card.
Recent Examples on the Web
In Gemini, however, this can result in revelations through conversations, unexpected invitations or perhaps even a techie wild card.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Who are some wild cards to keep an eye on?
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
Cleveland ended up winning the division, but Detroit gained a measure of redemption by ousting the Guardians in a three-game wild card Series before suffering their own early exit by falling in five games to the Seattle Mariners in the division series round.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Certainly not in the form of Thursday’s loss, when avoidable mental lapses, defensive breakdowns and turnovers cost the Red Wings two early points against a divisional (and possible wild card) rival.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wild card
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Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Who are some wild cards to keep an eye on?
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
Cleveland ended up winning the division, but Detroit gained a measure of redemption by ousting the Guardians in a three-game wild card Series before suffering their own early exit by falling in five games to the Seattle Mariners in the division series round.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Certainly not in the form of Thursday’s loss, when avoidable mental lapses, defensive breakdowns and turnovers cost the Red Wings two early points against a divisional (and possible wild card) rival.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wild card
Cite this Entry
“Wild card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild%20card. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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