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 storm remains a question mark, however remotely, for Southern California. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Minnesota’s ability to stop the run also will be a question mark, with the top four interior defensive linemen from last year gone to graduation. — Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

The question marks at the top of draw open it up for an American man to win a major for the first time since Andy Roddick in 2003. — Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Ratings are a question mark, since Season 1 didn’t chart on Nielsen and Apple is stingy with viewership data, but the nine episodes seemed to come and go without much fanfare. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 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