wild card
noun
1
: an unknown or unpredictable factor
2
: one picked to fill a leftover playoff or tournament berth after regularly qualifying competitors have all been determined
3
usually wildcard
: a symbol (such as ? or *) used in a keyword database search to represent the presence of zero, one, or more than one unspecified characters
Examples of wild card in a Sentence
The joker is a wild card.
Taxes are the wild card in this election.
The team made it into the play-offs as the wild card.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rubio, Vance and Burgum (or a wild card?) must be measured by their ability to sit at the desk in the Oval Office and carry out the duties of president.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 July 2024
Another wild card is exactly where Beryl will come ashore.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 5 July 2024
Many of the same factors for auto policies have influenced rising homeowners insurance prices, but a big wild card that still remains is the increasing severity and frequency of weather events that intensify insurer risk calculations.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 4 July 2024
Aside from Sunak and Starmer, this year’s wild card is Nigel Farage, the populist whose critics label as far right.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for wild card 
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 July 2024
Another wild card is exactly where Beryl will come ashore.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 5 July 2024
Many of the same factors for auto policies have influenced rising homeowners insurance prices, but a big wild card that still remains is the increasing severity and frequency of weather events that intensify insurer risk calculations.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 4 July 2024
Aside from Sunak and Starmer, this year’s wild card is Nigel Farage, the populist whose critics label as far right.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for wild card
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wild card.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Wild card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild%20card. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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