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

ˈwī(-ə)l(d)-ˌkärd 

: 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

Zack Baun #53 of the Philadelphia Eagles lines up before the snap during an NFL football wild card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field on January 12, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. —Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025

Looking back at the astrology of the premiere, wild card Uranus was in Aries, the sign where Saturn and Neptune currently reside. —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 8 June 2025

Winning the franchise’s fourth wild card in six years is the team’s most realistic path to the postseason, and the Padres have fared well against fellow wild-card candidates. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2025

Flowing pleated pants have been a wild card for casual looks. —Michel Mejía, Glamour, 1 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

wild card, playing card with arbitrarily determined value

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wild card

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• courtyard
• debarred
• diehard