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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
Another notable change is that internet queries in the URL bar can default to ChatGPT’s search engine, which organizes results across categories, including text, images, videos, and news articles. PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025 Chamorro-Premuzic recommends putting a finer point on your query. Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
For example, a user can query ChatGPT to access Spotify to list and play popular tracks from the streaming app. Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025 Immergut queried of Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric Hamilton on Sunday. Callum Sutherland, Time, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for query
Recent Examples of Synonyms for query
Noun
  • Eli Drinkwitz has done more with less at Mizzou, and there's little doubt he'll be targeted in this boiling kettle of a market.
    Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 29 Oct. 2025
  • But what has raised Democrats' eyebrows is that Grossbard was a plaintiff in a 2020 lawsuit against state and various county officials, alleging there was enough evidence to place that year's election results into doubt.
    Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The details of the cases were not proactively made public beyond being made available for review for anyone who files a request under the state's public records law.
    Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The offices of Ford and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
    Steve Kopack, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Julie Mayhew, owner of Mayville Farm, a small farm sanctuary in Racine, said she's publicly questioned Shalom for years.
    Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Bessent was questioned by Democrats and some Republicans for his support, in the context of Argentina being a competitor to the US in exporting soybeans to China.
    Daniel Flatley, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Following her passing, flags will be flown at half-mast for 30 days at government offices, state enterprises, and educational institutions, and government officials have been asked to wear mourning attire for a year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
    Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Weekly Newsletter Audiences were asked to consider that the display of human difference was dehumanizing or even exploitative but also to understand that the sideshow represented a locus of community and a way for disabled performers to make an independent living.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Police were interrogating Smith at the same time.
    Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
  • For Findikoglu, whose designs interrogate traditional modes of femininity and unspools them into powerfully sensually looks, hair acts as armor and invitation into her gothic underworld.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Even the culturally ambitious projects such as Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island cultural district, which hosts local chapters of Louvre, Guggenheim, Berklee, and National History Museum, are often greeted with skepticism.
    Bobby Ghosh, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Still, given the dramatic gains recently, there’s plenty of skepticism that Nvidia shares can keep soaring.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Newsweek contacted the Department of Justice for comment on Saturday via media inquiry form outside of regular office hours.
    James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Several other board members also did not reply to AP inquiries.
    Bill Barrow, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The same Philadelphia that witnessed the birth of American independence also nurtured competing visions of nationhood—ones that challenged the very foundations of who could claim full citizenship in the republic.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • With no presumptive nominee or clear party leader after the 2024 presidential election loss, the Democratic field remains widely contested—a scenario that could reshape the party’s electoral strategy, policy direction and prospects for challenging Republican front-runners in upcoming races.
    Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Query.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/query. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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