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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

Examples 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
News queries include results from companies that have partnered with OpenAI — such as Axel Springer, Vox Media and The Associated Press — as well as other publishers who have not otherwise opted out of having their content crawled by OpenAI. Ina Fried, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024 In fact, Pichai noted that the cost of AI queries has declined by over 90% over the past 18 months. Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
To dramatically speed up the reading, summarizing, probing, and querying of these documents, the Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant lets the reader have a real-time conversation with a PDF. Jeff Wilser, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024 Teams should query database and cloud systems to check for privileged access, ensuring those users are required to use multifactor authentication. Tarun Thakur, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for query 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for query
Noun
  • The company believes there is no longer substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern due to recent business improvements and actions taken by management.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
  • But just in case there were any doubts, the Lakers’ 131-114 loss, which dropped them to 4-4 overall and 1-4 on their road trip, was a reminder.
    Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The medical examiner's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
    Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Dickinson did not respond to a request for comment.
    Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Paxton was born into the church and comes across as more explicitly pious and less inherently questioning of her worldview.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
  • Trump said, questioning why the results might not be immediately known.
    Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Angst-alleviating initiatives include free park-and-ride shuttle service to trailheads and the Sedona Cares Challenge, which asks visitors to agree to nine ways to help preserve Red Rock Country’s natural beauty, like not forging your own trails and packing out your trash.
    Erin Strout, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
  • If the question is asked in a friendly way, most people will answer in the same vein.
    Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Available on The Week Bookshop A Thread of Violence Mark O'Connell, 2023 Another book that interrogates the act of writing about crime.
    The Week UK, theweek, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Her winning work, titled Behula and a Thousand Tales (2024), uses photography, prints, text, and sculpture to interrogate the role of women in Bangladesh and beyond.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Then again, in that same interview, Brown expressed skepticism about whether the British public would also welcome his American wife back into a royal role.
    Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Although this is a worrying trend, growing Taiwanese skepticism of the United States has not translated into a greater desire to unify with Beijing. HARDENED STEEL China’s gray-zone campaign, intended to help achieve unification, is instead pushing Taiwan further away.
    David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The government had completed or started work on 28 recommendations from the inquiry, the prime minister said, and will provide its full response early next year.
    Reuters, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024
  • After months of bluster, the inquiry later fizzles.
    Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The filing also details various legal proceedings, including a complaint filed by environmental groups challenging lease extensions for the Santa Ynez Unit.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Especially if Murray keeps challenging him to outdo himself — a trend that continued Wednesday night before Denver’s win over Oklahoma City.
    Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near query

Cite this Entry

“Query.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/query. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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