query — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A question, an inquiry (US), an enquiry (UK).

   Examples

   The teacher answered the student’s query concerning biosynthesis.

   More examples (1)

   Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.

2. A question mark.

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   His Glossary has ‘bouchen, to stop people's mouths,’; but this is followed by a query, to show that it was but a guess. I have shown, from the MSS. and other sources, that it should be bonched, i.e. bunched, bumped, knocked, smote.

   She had written in her diary: "I don't think I am in a concentration-camp??????", the queries growing larger and more numerous till they covered the entire page […]

   I refer you to your line above, where you use a query and a bang together.

3. A set of instructions passed to a database.

   Examples

   The database admin switched on query logging for debugging purposes.

Verb

1. To ask a question.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

2. To ask, inquire.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   It’s queried whether there be any Science in the ſenſe of the Dogmatiſts: […]

   “You must have had an active life,” queried the shopkeeper, “before you retired?”

   More examples (1)

   I tried that once in an AOL thing called "The Arena", I can't remember who the celebrity was, but I posed some divinely thoughtful, inspired, well-crafted question, and they chose one, instead, that querried^([sic]) her favourite colour, quelle banel.

3. To question or call into doubt.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad.

4. To pass a set of instructions to a database to retrieve information from it.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Linked tables can be accessed, queried, combined and reorganised much more flexibly and in a number of ways that may not be immediately predictable when the database is under construction.

5. To send a private message to (a user on IRC).

   Usage

   • Internet
   • Transitive

   Examples

   if you know someone who is in the channel, you can query them and ask for the key.

6. To send out a query letter.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

Noun

1. an instance of questioning

   Synonyms

   questioninquiryenquiryinterrogation

   Broader terms

   questioninginquiring

   Examples

   there was a question about my training

   we made inquiries of all those who were present

Verb

1. pose a question

   Synonyms

   question

   Broader terms

   askinquireenquire