question mark

noun

Definition of question mark

1a : 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

There are some question marks for the Wild heading into this season, starting with the health of captain Mikko Koivu (right knee) and star blue liner Matt Dumba (chest), who missed the end of last season with injuries that crippled the team. — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, "Are Wild opening season with a chip on their shoulder? No, that’s a boulder.," 12 Sep. 2019 Neither played this game and likely won’t make their 49ers debuts until Sept. 8 at Tampa Bay, with Bosa’s ankle being more of a question mark than Ford’s knee. — Cam Inman, The Mercury News, "49ers 27, Chiefs 17: Top takeways from Garoppolo’s bounce-back game," 24 Aug. 2019 Pending the release of the club’s updated injury report, Fatai Alashe (hamstring), Greg Garza (hamstring), Allan Cruz, and Frankie Amaya might be question marks going into the match. — Pat Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "FC Cincinnati versus Columbus Crew SC: Storylines for the 'Hell is Real' derby," 7 Aug. 2019 But like many couples that cross the line from friends into the unknown, there were many question marks. — Amy Louise Bailey, Harper's BAZAAR, "From Friends to Lovers: A Success Story," 24 July 2019 What’s left are question marks in the middle infield and, outside of Haxby, on the mound. — OregonLive.com, "High school baseball, softball 2018: Top players, outlook, projected finish for every 6A team," 11 Apr. 2018 The Gophers’ biggest offensive question mark comes at left tackle, so if Sam Schleuter or Jason Dickson can’t hold down the spot without keeping a tight end in to help block, any talk of tight ends catching more passes becomes moot. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Gophers’ tight end production was nonexistent in 2018, but that could quickly change," 15 Aug. 2019 But despite the many question marks, Weis has still noted a lot of positives in his offense. — Christian Simmons, sun-sentinel.com, "After regressing last year, FAU offense looks to bounce back despite many questions remaining," 12 Aug. 2019 And there are three carry-over injuries from last year that put center Weston Richburg (knee), halfback Jerick McKinnon (knee) and tight end Garrett Calek (back) as question marks for the opener. — John Clayton, courant.com, "NFL needs to shorten the preseason, and more takeaways from start of training camp," 12 Aug. 2019

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