question mark

noun

1

a

: something unknown, unknowable, or uncertain

b

: someone (such as an athlete) whose condition, talent, or potential for success is in doubt

2

: a mark ? used in writing and printing at the conclusion of a sentence to indicate a direct question

Examples of question mark in a Sentence

The team's pitching is a big question mark this season.

Recent Examples on the Web

As the offseason begins to heat up in earnest, one baseball writer foresees the Phillies replacing Bohm with one of the all-time greats at his position, who is nonetheless a question mark in his own right. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

Carol can now remove that question mark and figure out how to exploit them for it. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025

However, several injuries and question marks at the wide receiver position are almost forcing the team’s hand. —Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

With Peterson a major question mark, the Jayhawks will need several players to step up on offense. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for question mark

• disembark
• matriarch
• meadowlark
• patriarch
• watermark
• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark

Kids Definition

question mark

noun

: a punctuation mark ? used chiefly at the end of a sentence to indicate a direct question