query
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A question, an inquiry.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kwihreeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkwɪɹi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A question, an inquiry (US), an enquiry (UK).
A question mark.
computingdatabases
A set of instructions passed to a database.
verb
transitive
To ask, inquire.
Pose a question
transitive
To question or call into doubt.
intransitive
To ask a question.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A question, an inquiry (US), an enquiry (UK).
Used this way, query is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use query
- “I have a quick query about the meeting schedule.”noun
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: question or an inquiry (US)
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.