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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

Example 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
The five-bedroom, three-bath townhouse on State Street — priced at nearly $22,000 a month — received seven queries in three days, and three of them applied. Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 7 May 2025 Shares of Alphabet rose nearly 2% on Thursday after the company released a statement saying Google is continuing to see search query growth, pushing back on press reports Wednesday that cited an Apple executive saying there has been a decline in search on the Safari browser as more people use AI. Pia Singh,sean Conlon, CNBC, 7 May 2025
Verb
His team came up with the first designs in 2014 after querying a computer model to find nanoparticles that would produce particular wavelengths of light. IEEE Spectrum, 13 Mar. 2025 Agentic tools can query datasets, but the results are only as good as the data put into the system. Craig Costigan, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for query
Recent Examples of Synonyms for query
Noun
  • There is no doubt about Arsenal’s effectiveness on attacking corners, but even after the returns of Havertz and Gabriel, there will be areas to improve on the defensive side.
    Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 18 May 2025
  • For subsumed within Lincoln’s willingness to accept the Chicago nomination was knowledge — perhaps without a doubt — of what actions by states were to come and what actions were morally right for the government to pursue.
    Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025
Noun
  • Trump has made a number of moves in recent weeks to target drug prices, including a request for House Republicans to mandate low drug prices for Medicaid.
    Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
  • Renewable advocates and energy developers say Bonneville struggles to hire and retain people to process connection requests because the agency pays less than the private sector.
    Tony Schick, ProPublica, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • Some justices question why Trump admin did not seek direct ruling on birthright citizenship Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan asked why the Trump administration on Thursday sought to block nationwide injunctions rather than resolve whether a birthright citizenship order is constitutional.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • The beauty of Forever is that despite difficult moments in its episodes, there is no overt trauma; and yet, there is much to question and unpack.
    Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • That’s the question writer-director Ari Aster’s somber comedy-Western Eddington, playing in competition here at the Cannes Film Festival, appears to be asking.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 17 May 2025
  • Here's why Cassie said Combs threatened to 'blow up' Kid Cudi's car During cross-examination, Ventura Fine was asked about her relationship with rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • From exhibitions interrogating race and class to public programs grappling with climate change and surveillance, Somerset House became a magnet for the conversations audiences crave but most institutions are too afraid to address. Stand for something.
    Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
  • The Fallout series is set in 2296, though the story routinely returns to the year 2077, interrogating how corporate interests helped facilitate the nuclear attacks that decimated the world.
    EW.com, EW.com, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • The idea that some demonstrators were being compensated sparked wider skepticism.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 20 May 2025
  • Ziff, in spite of some family skepticism toward Margouleff and his scheme, agreed.
    Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • In fact, Trump views the Justice Department as a tool to uplift his political agenda, undoing the dedicated work of dozens of federal agents and prosecutors with his blanket pardon of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and punishing or firing personnel that had engaged in disfavored inquiries.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 May 2025
  • The study examined 75,000 credit inquiries and applications from small to mid-sized companies made on Biz2Credit’s small business finance platform from all across the country for the full prior year (2024).
    Rohit Arora, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
Verb
  • Now, Porter is challenging herself by coming to the Broadway stage — something she's said on social media has long been a dream of hers.
    Dave Quinn, People.com, 20 May 2025
  • Village women are challenging that outlook by incorporating the bird into traditional songs and handcrafts.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 20 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Query.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/query. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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