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
Williams entered the Citi Open on a wild card, after not playing on the WTA Tour since March 2024.
—
Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
The Braves are fourth in the NL East, 13 1/2 games back, after winning six consecutive division titles through 2023 and getting in the postseason as a wild card last year.
—David O'Brien, New York Times, 23 July 2025
That leaves Woodson, a heady, 24-year-old rookie who played all across the secondary in college, as a wild card.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 July 2025
There’s still a chance the Dolphins can beat out the Chargers, Denver, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New England and maybe the Colts for one of three wild card spots.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wild card
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Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
The Braves are fourth in the NL East, 13 1/2 games back, after winning six consecutive division titles through 2023 and getting in the postseason as a wild card last year.
—David O'Brien, New York Times, 23 July 2025
That leaves Woodson, a heady, 24-year-old rookie who played all across the secondary in college, as a wild card.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 July 2025
There’s still a chance the Dolphins can beat out the Chargers, Denver, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New England and maybe the Colts for one of three wild card spots.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wild card
Cite this Entry
“Wild card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild%20card. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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