Meaning of "question" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD QUESTION

Via Old French from Latin quaestiō, from quaerere to seek.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF QUESTION

question  [ˈkwɛstʃən]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF QUESTION

Question is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb question in English.

WHAT DOES QUESTION MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Question

A question is a linguistic expression used to make a request for information, or the request made using such an expression. The information requested may be provided in the form of an answer. Questions have developed a range of uses that go beyond the simple eliciting of information from another party. Rhetorical questions, for example, are used to make a point, and are not expected to be answered. Many languages have special grammatical forms for questions. However questions can also be asked without using these interrogative grammatical structures – for example one may use an imperative, as in "Tell me your name". For detailed information about the grammar of question formation, see Interrogative, and for English specifically, English grammar: Questions.

Definition of question in the English dictionary

The first definition of question in the dictionary is a form of words addressed to a person in order to elicit information or evoke a response; interrogative sentence. Other definition of question is a point at issue. Question is also a difficulty or uncertainty; doubtful point.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO QUESTION

PRESENT

Present

I question

you question

he/she/it questions

we question

you question

they question

Present continuous

I am questioning

you are questioning

he/she/it is questioning

we are questioning

you are questioning

they are questioning

Present perfect

I have questioned

you have questioned

he/she/it has questioned

we have questioned

you have questioned

they have questioned

Present perfect continuous

I have been questioning

you have been questioning

he/she/it has been questioning

we have been questioning

you have been questioning

they have been questioning

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I questioned

you questioned

he/she/it questioned

we questioned

you questioned

they questioned

Past continuous

I was questioning

you were questioning

he/she/it was questioning

we were questioning

you were questioning

they were questioning

Past perfect

I had questioned

you had questioned

he/she/it had questioned

we had questioned

you had questioned

they had questioned

Past perfect continuous

I had been questioning

you had been questioning

he/she/it had been questioning

we had been questioning

you had been questioning

they had been questioning

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will question

you will question

he/she/it will question

we will question

you will question

they will question

Future continuous

I will be questioning

you will be questioning

he/she/it will be questioning

we will be questioning

you will be questioning

they will be questioning

Future perfect

I will have questioned

you will have questioned

he/she/it will have questioned

we will have questioned

you will have questioned

they will have questioned

Future perfect continuous

I will have been questioning

you will have been questioning

he/she/it will have been questioning

we will have been questioning

you will have been questioning

they will have been questioning

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would question

you would question

he/she/it would question

we would question

you would question

they would question

Conditional continuous

I would be questioning

you would be questioning

he/she/it would be questioning

we would be questioning

you would be questioning

they would be questioning

Conditional perfect

I would have question

you would have question

he/she/it would have question

we would have question

you would have question

they would have question

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been questioning

you would have been questioning

he/she/it would have been questioning

we would have been questioning

you would have been questioning

they would have been questioning

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you question
we let´s question
you question

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to question

Past participle

questioned

Present Participle

questioning

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «QUESTION»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «question» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of question

argument · bone of contention · can of worms · catechize · challenge · confusion · contention · controversy · controvert · cross-examine · debate · difficulty · disbelieve · dispute · distrust · doubt · dubiety · enquiry · examination · examine · grill · impugn · inquiry · interrogate · interrogation · interview · investigate · investigation · issue · matter · misgiving · mistrust · motion · oppose · point · probe · problem · proposal · proposition · pump · query · quiz · sound out · subject · suspect · theme · topic · uncertainty

TRANSLATION OF QUESTION

Find out the translation of question to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of question from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «question» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 问题
• Translator English - Spanish: pregunta
• English: question
• Translator English - Hindi: सवाल
• Translator English - Arabic: سُؤَال
• Translator English - Russian: вопрос
• Translator English - Portuguese: questão
• Translator English - Bengali: প্রশ্ন
• Translator English - French: question
• Translator English - Malay: Soalan
• Translator English - German: Frage
• Translator English - Japanese: 質問
• Translator English - Korean: 질문
• Translator English - Javanese: Pitakonan
• Translator English - Vietnamese: câu hỏi
• Translator English - Tamil: கேள்வி
• Translator English - Marathi: प्रश्न
• Translator English - Turkish: soru
• Translator English - Italian: domanda
• Translator English - Polish: pytanie
• Translator English - Ukrainian: питання
• Translator English - Romanian: întrebare
• Translator English - Greek: ερώτηση
• Translator English - Afrikaans: vraag
• Translator English - Swedish: fråga
• Translator English - Norwegian: spørsmål

10 QUOTES WITH «QUESTION»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word question.

1

Floyd Abrams

I really try at least to come back and answer the question as to whether that was really the best way to do that and was I really thinking straight and how did my opponents behave and how did the judges behave was needed.

2

Jean Alesi

Am I calm all the time? That is a question to ask my mother. I am very happy in my home. I have a good family, that gives me something extra.

3

James F. Amos

We're all concerned about the budget. We're all concerned about what's happening financially in our country. There's no question about it. Congress is working day and night. In fact, every time I go home the lights are on at the top of the Capitol.

4

Roone Arledge

One of the reasons why when Elvis dies or the Son of Sam is captured ABC News' ratings go up is because people who don't normally watch news are watching then. The question is, do you want to attract people who don't watch network news or fight over the people who do?

5

Julian Barbour

There are things that I would say that you could call an instant of time; or better, a now. As we live we seem to move through a succession of instants of time, nows, and the question is, what are they? There are where everything in the universe is at this moment, now.

6

Robert Foster Bennett

There is no question that al-Qaida operatives are currently active in Iraq. A premature exit before the threat they represent has been dealt with would endanger America and the prospects of eventual peace in the Middle East.

7

Peter Bofinger

It is true that a population which is growing older needs to save, but the question is in what form the savings are made.

8

Lois McMaster Bujold

What you are is a question only you can answer.

9

George W. Bush

A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it.

10

Georg Cantor

In mathematics the art of proposing a question must be held of higher value than solving it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «QUESTION»

Discover the use of question in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to question and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth

Vivid stories from leading-edge organizations illustrate the ideas in practice. Practical and compelling, this is the one book—and the one tool—no growth-minded leader can afford to miss.

Frederick F. Reichheld, 2006

Radiation Oncology: A Question-based Review

It is also an ideal preparation tool for written and oral board examinations. Organized in chapters and sections by site, the book covers in detail all the sites and cancer types currently treated with radiotherapy.

Boris Hristov, John P. Christodouleas, Steven H. Lin, 2010

The Question

Critical analysis of the historic anti-Semitism of France through the lens of Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy.

Henri Alleg, 1958

The Post-Secular in Question: Religion in Contemporary Society

This collection of original essays by leading academics represents an interdisciplinary intervention in the continuing and ever-transforming discussion of the role of religion and secularism in today’s world.

Philip Gorski, David Kyuman Kim, John Torpey, 2012

Humanitarianism in Question: Politics, Power, Ethics

Years of tremendous growth in response to complex emergencies have left a mark on the humanitarian sector. Various matters that once seemed settled are now subjects of intense debate. What is humanitarianism?

Michael Barnett, Thomas G. Weiss, 2008

A Question of Silence: The Sexual Economies of Modern India

The essays in this volume develop an understanding of the institutions, practices and forms of representation of Indian sexual relations and their boundaries of legitimacy.

Janaki Nair, Mary E. John, 2000

The Project Management Question and Answer Book

What is it? Is it right for my organization? Will it save me money and time? Everything you need to know about project management.

Michael W. Newell, Marina N. Grashina, 2004

The Question of Being

A fantastic read for any scholar or student interested in philosophy, epistemology, or ontology.

Martin Heidegger, 1958

Review Questions in Ophthalmology: A Question and Answer Book

Focusing on common diseases, the book covers all specialty rotations, plus key areas such as embryology, anatomy, pediatrics, plastics, and lenses. This edition includes new cases and information on new drugs, especially glaucoma drugs.

Kenneth C. Chern, Kenneth Weston Wright, 2004

That Noble Dream: The 'Objectivity Question' and the ...

Drawing on the unpublished correspondence as well as the published writing of hundreds of American historians, this book is a richly textured account of what American historians have thought they were doing, or ought to be doing, when they ...

Peter Novick, 1988

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «QUESTION»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term question is used in the context of the following news items.

French pupils petition to scrap 'impossible' English exam question

More than 10,000 pupils in France have signed a petition calling on examiners to ditch a question from the English exam in this year's baccalaureate as it was ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jun 15»

BBC defends Question Time over claims of audience 'bias'

The BBC has defended how it chose the audience for the leaders' debate on Question Time, after its selection process was accused of both leftwing and ... «The Guardian, Apr 15»

Forever episode 21 review: The Night In Question

This leads them on a convoluted trail that leads them back to the hospital, and the fateful Night in Question. Through complicit Judges, murdering Sheriffs and ... «Den Of Geek, Apr 15»

BBC criticised for putting Charles Kennedy on Question Time

The former Lib Dem leader, a recovering alcoholic, appeared to have trouble answering questions. Mr Kennedy, who led the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to ... «Express.co.uk, Mar 15»

Ballot "Question 1" on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

The April 7th election in Springfield is one month away, and taking front and center is a referendum known as "Question 1," regarding a city ordinance on the ... «KSPR, Mar 15»

A Bad Faith Question

That's because the evolution question really isn't about evolution at all. On the surface, it's about the culture war. To borrow a phrase from the campus left, ... «RealClearPolitics, Feb 15»

George Galloway accuses BBC over Question Time 'set-up'

George Galloway claims Question Time host David Dimbleby later apologised to him after he faced a question relating to antisemitism. Photograph: Dan ... «The Guardian, Feb 15»

Tristram Hunt under fire after 'nuns' remark on Question Time

Tristram Hunt, Labour's shadow education secretary, is under fire after appearing to question whether nuns make good teachers during an appearance on a TV ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Feb 15»

George Galloway's Question Time slot 'lacks sensitivity', BBC told

The BBC's decision to invite self-confessed “pro-Palestine” MP George Galloway to appear on a Question Time panel to be filmed in Finchley, north-west ... «The Guardian, Jan 15»

Here's The Tough Interview Question One Tech CEO Always Asks

That's the question Kristin Muhlner, CEO of NewBrand, a social analytics software company, asks every job candidate she interviews. In a recent interview with ... «Business Insider, Jan 15»