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

The traditional format, played in white attire and stretching five days to feel quite archaic in these furious times, has for some time faced major question marks over its future amid declining popularity and relevance in pockets of the world. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

Help with what, exactly, remains a question mark at the end of the hour. —Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 11 May 2025

The financial arm of the Department of Education managed student loans, but Trump’s plan to kill the agency raised a huge question mark. —Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 4 May 2025

So there’s one big question mark left: Will Rihanna attend the 2025 Met Gala? —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 1 May 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