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
: 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
The Sox reached the postseason in 2020 as an American League wild card under Renteria and in 2021 as the AL Central champions under Tony La Russa.
—
Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
One of the biggest wild cards facing the U.S. economy is Mr. Trump’s tariffs and how the rest of the world responds.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
One potential wild card in the scenario is who the governor backs as his replacement.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 18 Jan. 2025
The Rams defeated the Vikings in the NFC wild card round on Monday night.
HAFLEY’S RESUME
Hafley, 45, a Montvale, N.J., native, became the Packers’ defensive coordinator this season after a four-year stint as Boston College coach.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wild card 
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Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
One of the biggest wild cards facing the U.S. economy is Mr. Trump’s tariffs and how the rest of the world responds.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
One potential wild card in the scenario is who the governor backs as his replacement.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 18 Jan. 2025
The Rams defeated the Vikings in the NFC wild card round on Monday night.
HAFLEY’S RESUME
Hafley, 45, a Montvale, N.J., native, became the Packers’ defensive coordinator this season after a four-year stint as Boston College coach.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wild card
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Cite this Entry
“Wild card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild%20card. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
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