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query

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb query contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of query are ask, inquire, interrogate, and question. While all these words mean "to address a person in order to gain information," query implies a desire for authoritative information or confirmation.

queried a librarian about the book

When might ask be a better fit than query?

In some situations, the words ask and query are roughly equivalent. However, ask implies no more than the putting of a question.

ask for directions

When can inquire be used instead of query?

While in some cases nearly identical to query, inquire implies a searching for facts or for truth often specifically by asking questions.

began to inquire of friends and teachers what career she should pursue

In what contexts can interrogate take the place of query?

The synonyms interrogate and query are sometimes interchangeable, but interrogate suggests formal or official systematic questioning.

the prosecutor interrogated the witness all day

Where would question be a reasonable alternative to query?

The words question and query are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, question usually suggests the asking of series of questions.

questioned them about every detail of the trip

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of query
Noun
Within practical guidance, teaching or tutoring queries accounted for more than a third of messages. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025 The Kennedy Center's press office did not immediately reply to NPR's request for comment on the dismissal and a query about the future of jazz and Millennium Stage programming. Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
When queried why no women were being spotlighted for a Heart of Sarajevo award this year, Marjanović put it down to scheduling. Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2025 Mohamed Salah, a forward who plays for Liverpool FC in England and captains the Egyptian national team, queried the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) over its message posted in response to the death of Palestinian player Suleiman al-Obeid. Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for query
Recent Examples of Synonyms for query
Noun
  • The name leaves little doubt as to what viewers will encounter.
    Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • In case there was any doubt, Jim Cramer’s recent conversation with CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz ought to be persuasive.
    Paulina Likos, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Judge Stark denied Blue Water’s request to extend the timeline, but did give the company access to the Citgo data room used in the process, which doesn’t entirely shut the door on Hernandez’s firm.
    Jordan Blum, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The police department did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment or to provide an update on the status of their investigation.
    Erin Jensen, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • However, local authorities later said the individual had been questioned and released.
    Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Republican and Democratic lawmakers questioned the tactics after the earlier strike.
    George Petras, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In a video taken by a security camera at his mother's driveway, obtained by ABC News, a federal agent can be heard asking Gamez Lira to turn off the engine and to not resist.
    Armando Garcia, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Mary Bobenmoyer, owner and general manager of Our Town Coffee & Treats, didn’t know until a reporter asked her about it in late August.
    Anna Clark, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Instead of letting our legs carry us aimlessly down the road with our minds interrogating every step, our thumbs pose too simple a question to which our smartphones are pleased to give us too simple an answer.
    Paul Greenberg, Time, 20 Sep. 2025
  • But Fastvold, the partner and creative collaborator of The Brutalist director Brady Corbet—she co-wrote both that film and Corbet’s previous movie, Vox Lux—also interrogates the idea of spirituality as a lifeline.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In the province of Alberta, Calgary’s council voted in 2011 to stop fluoridation in part because of community skepticism and because expensive repairs to the equipment were needed, according to Councillor Gian-Carlo Carrà.
    Anna Clark, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Others echoed Kennedy's skepticism of federal health agencies.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Many international experts, including the International Association of Genocide Scholars, two leading Israeli human rights organizations and an independent United Nations inquiry, have concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Newsweek contacted Trader Joe's for comment via online media inquiry form on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
    James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Advertisement By the time of the civil rights movement, broader social and cultural changes had strengthened individuals’ sense of personal liberty, and activism challenged policy brutality and discretionary overreach.
    Time, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Encouraging private employers to fire people for expressing certain viewpoints risks encouraging viewpoint discrimination, chilling free speech, and may improperly challenge state laws that protect speech and off-duty conduct.
    Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Query.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/query. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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