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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
The five-bedroom, three-bath townhouse on State Street — priced at nearly $22,000 a month — received seven queries in three days, and three of them applied. Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 7 May 2025 Shares of Alphabet rose nearly 2% on Thursday after the company released a statement saying Google is continuing to see search query growth, pushing back on press reports Wednesday that cited an Apple executive saying there has been a decline in search on the Safari browser as more people use AI. Pia Singh,sean Conlon, CNBC, 7 May 2025
Verb
For publishers, the fear is that powerful chatbots that can quickly summarize news articles when queried will mean that readers visit news websites less often, prompting a drop in advertising that could affect the industry's bottom line. Bobby Allyn, NPR, 26 Mar. 2025 Practical strategies for leveraging KMS in customer collaboration include documenting every interaction, querying past feedback for trends and refining ideas based on these insights. Sagi Eliyahu, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for query
Recent Examples of Synonyms for query
Noun
  • Madrid were already having doubts about Alaba’s future even before his latest knee operation, as his entourage is aware.
    Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 3 May 2025
  • Read’s lawyers continued their strategy of pointing out inconsistencies between testimony given by the prosecutors’ witnesses with an aim of sowing doubt about their testimony overall.
    Michael Loria, USA Today, 3 May 2025
Noun
  • Trump has made a number of moves in recent weeks to target drug prices, including a request for House Republicans to mandate low drug prices for Medicaid.
    Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
  • Belfort did not respond to requests for comment about his stance.
    Kavitha Surana, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • Some justices question why Trump admin did not seek direct ruling on birthright citizenship Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan asked why the Trump administration on Thursday sought to block nationwide injunctions rather than resolve whether a birthright citizenship order is constitutional.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • The MedPAC report doesn’t dispute these outcomes but questions whether the MA program is delivering value commensurate with its cost.
    Seth Joseph, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • Here's why Cassie said Combs threatened to 'blow up' Kid Cudi's car During cross-examination, Ventura Fine was asked about her relationship with rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • That’s the question writer-director Ari Aster’s somber comedy-Western Eddington, playing in competition here at the Cannes Film Festival, appears to be asking.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • From exhibitions interrogating race and class to public programs grappling with climate change and surveillance, Somerset House became a magnet for the conversations audiences crave but most institutions are too afraid to address. Stand for something.
    Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
  • The Fallout series is set in 2296, though the story routinely returns to the year 2077, interrogating how corporate interests helped facilitate the nuclear attacks that decimated the world.
    EW.com, EW.com, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • President Donald Trump has voiced skepticism about FEMA's role, arguing that states should take the lead in responding to hurricanes, tornadoes, and other emergencies.
    Amanda Castro Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
  • Wall Street appears to be signaling some skepticism about the deal’s viability, based on the open of trading Thursday.
    Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 8 May 2025
Noun
  • In fact, Trump views the Justice Department as a tool to uplift his political agenda, undoing the dedicated work of dozens of federal agents and prosecutors with his blanket pardon of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and punishing or firing personnel that had engaged in disfavored inquiries.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 May 2025
  • The study examined 75,000 credit inquiries and applications from small to mid-sized companies made on Biz2Credit’s small business finance platform from all across the country for the full prior year (2024).
    Rohit Arora, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
Verb
  • Immigrant rights groups challenged the change on behalf of the immigrants and their sponsors.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 May 2025
  • Dozens of lawsuits have been filed challenging Trump's executive orders and actions taken by his administration, including the dismantling of federal agencies and the crackdown on international students involved in pro-Palestinian campus protests.
    Amanda Castro Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Query.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/query. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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