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

For the Guardian writer, the question was a rare refutation of Betteridge’s law, the journalistic adage stating that any headline ending in a question mark can be answered with a no. —Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

Unless a slang term emerges from a popular movie, pinpointing an exact date of birth is difficult (hence the question marks on the tombstone). —Michael Tedder, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026

That’s not to say there aren’t question marks. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026

The Seattle Seahawks enter their NFC divisional round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers with a major question mark — the health of star quarterback Sam Darnold. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026

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