query

noun que·ry \ ˈkwir-ē , ˈkwer- \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: query in a Sentence

Definition of query

plural queries

1 : question, inquiry

2 : a question in the mind : doubt

3 : question mark 2

See query defined for English-language learners

See query defined for kids

Examples of query in a Sentence

I have a query about my order.
The librarian responded to my query.

Recent Examples of query from the Web

Add some — albeit unexpected — queries about baseball tickets to the list.

— jen kirby, Vox, "Report: Brett Kavanaugh racked up thousands in debt buying baseball tickets," 12 July 2018
Send queries about the Smithsonian Institution to info@si.edu or to OVS, Public Inquiry Mail Service, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013.

— Smithsonian, "Readers Discuss Our June 2018 Issue," 28 June 2018
The query, therefore, is whether Coco is a product of Mort’s Academy, USTA PD or some combination of both.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Mailbag: Is Current Form or Past Slam Performance a Better Indicator of Success in Majors?," 27 June 2018
At this stage during testing, for example, a Duplex call to the Thai restaurant would not be able to order take-out food, or answer a query, say, about vegetarian menu options.

— edward c. baig, USA TODAY, "Google shows off how Duplex can call restaurants, first identifying itself as a bot," 27 June 2018
So, a playful query: Since her hubby writes the songs, is Rutledge-Borger the, um, jackhammer?

— chuck yarborough, cleveland.com, "Rock Hall exec cloaks herself in music at work and at play, with Cleveland Steamers 3rd album," 6 May 2018
Management at the mall referred all queries to the Upper Merion police.

— katie park, Philly.com, "Cops: $112K in handbags stolen from King of Prussia Mall," 4 May 2018
Though the magazine received its fair share of fan mail on her watch, there were sometimes grumbles, as well as plenty of queries, such as, when did the first pair of jeans appear in the magazine?

— Vogue, "At Vogue for More Than 30 Years, Phyllis Rifield Was Tiny and Mighty," 5 Apr. 2018
And there's some thought his query could be part of a promotional campaign.

— christopher dabe, NOLA.com, "Anthony Davis asks internet if he should shave his distinctive unibrow," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'query.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of query

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1620

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

query Synonyms

query

verb

Definition of query

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

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querier

noun

See query defined for English-language learners

Examples of query in a Sentence

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