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 Panthers and Lightning met in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last year after Florida won the Atlantic Division and Tampa Bay advanced as the Eastern Conference’s top wild card.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025
Minnesota will secure the top wild card with just one point, or if the Blues get just one point or lose in regulation in their game on Tuesday.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
One wild card in the proxy voting predicament is whether Trump will weigh in on the debate, considering his successful track record of getting House Republicans on the same page.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2025
That’s why each month our Feel-Good Food Plan—with delicious recipes and a few wild cards—is hosted by someone new.
—Olivia Quintana, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wild card
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Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025
Minnesota will secure the top wild card with just one point, or if the Blues get just one point or lose in regulation in their game on Tuesday.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
One wild card in the proxy voting predicament is whether Trump will weigh in on the debate, considering his successful track record of getting House Republicans on the same page.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2025
That’s why each month our Feel-Good Food Plan—with delicious recipes and a few wild cards—is hosted by someone new.
—Olivia Quintana, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wild card
Cite this Entry
“Wild card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild%20card. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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