- [countable] a sentence, phrase or word that asks for information
- You didn't answer my question.
- You will have the opportunity to ask questions.
- Does anyone have any questions?
- (formal) I would now like to pose two questions:…
- That's a very interesting question.
- The question is, how much are they going to pay you?
- The big question is, why did they do it?
- (formal) The question arises as to whether or not he knew of the situation.
- question of something The key question of what caused the leak remains unanswered.
- question about something Can I ask you a question about your first novel?
- (formal) He put a question to the minister about the recent reforms.
- I hope the police don't ask any awkward questions.
- This is a difficult question to answer.
- The short answer to your question is yes.
- The government doesn’t have the answers to these difficult questions.
- In an interview try to ask open questions that don't just need ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ as an answer.
- I paid cash, no questions asked.
Express Yourself Dealing with questionsDealing with questionsIf you give a talk, for example at a conference, you need to explain to the audience when they can ask questions and deal with the questions they ask:- There will be time for questions at the end, if you'd like to save them up till then.
- If you don't mind, we'll take all of your questions at the end of the presentation.
- We're saving the last 15 minutes for questions.
- We've set aside some time for questions.
- If you have questions, please feel free to ask them as we go along.
- That's an interesting point. Perhaps I can answer it like this…
- I'm not sure I understand your question.
- If I understand your question correctly, what you're asking is…
- That's something we probably need to look into further.
- Does that answer your question?
- I hope that answers your question.
- Can I come back to that point later?
Extra Examples- Does anyone have any questions for our speaker?
- Don't be afraid to ask questions as to why things are done in the way they are.
- He became embarrassed when a journalist asked him pointed questions about his finances.
- She refused to answer questions about her private life.
- He easily evaded all the interviewer's most probing questions.
- I need to phrase my question rather carefully.
- I wanted to find out how old he was without asking him a direct question.
- Only one question remains unanswered.
- The chairperson fielded technical questions that she could not answer herself.
- The former minister faced questions concerning his role in the affair.
- The interview panel fired questions at me from all angles.
- The children bombarded us with questions.
- These photos pose the question: where are they now?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- awkward
- difficult
- embarrassing
- …
- ask (somebody)
- have
- address
- …
- question about
- question as to
- question concerning to
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [countable] a task or request for information that is intended to test your knowledge or understanding, for example in an exam or a competition
- Question 3 was very difficult.
- I couldn't do Question 6.
- You must answer all ten questions.
- question on something In the exam there's sure to be a question on energy.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- awkward
- difficult
- embarrassing
- …
- ask (somebody)
- have
- address
- …
- question about
- question as to
- question concerning to
- …
- [countable] a matter or topic that needs to be discussed or dealt with
- This is an issue that raises many important questions.
- question of something Let's look at the question of security.
- Finally we shall deal with the question of cost.
- The question that needs to be addressed is one of funding.
- question about something Questions remain about how she was appointed.
- The case raises serious questions about the company's conduct.
- Which route is better remains an open question (= it is not decided).
- The film doesn't answer all the questions it raises.
- The research is asking the wrong questions.
- The new play poses some challenging questions.
Extra Examples- We come now to the vexed question of pension rights.
- I would like to address the question of the relationship between a prison and the community.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- burning
- challenging
- controversial
- …
- bring up
- pose
- raise
- …
- arise
- go unanswered
- remain unanswered
- …
- question about
- question for
- question of
- …
- [uncountable, countable] doubt or not being certain about something
- His suitability for the job is open to question.
- beyond question Her honesty is beyond question.
- without question Her version of events was accepted without question.
- This case brings into question the whole purpose of the law.
- The authenticity of the painting has been thrown into question.
- The safety of the system has recently come into question.
- His ability has never been called into question.
- question as to/about something I did have some questions as to his motive in coming.
- She's a great dancer—there's no question about that.
Extra Examples- It was, without question, the worst day of my life.
- There is no question about her enthusiasm for the job.
- The incident brought into question the safety of travellers in the region.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + question- come into
- call into
- be open to
- …
- beyond question
- in question
- without question
- …
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French question (noun), questionner (verb), from Latin quaestio(n-), from quaerere ‘ask, seek’.
Idioms
See question in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee question in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbeg the question
- to make somebody want to ask a question that has not yet been answered
- All of which begs the question as to who will fund the project.
- to talk about something as if it were definitely true, even though it might not be
- These assumptions beg the question that children learn languages more easily than adults.
good question!
- (informal) used to show that you do not know the answer to a question
- ‘How much is all this going to cost?’ ‘Good question!’
in question
- that is being discussed
- On the day in question we were in Cardiff.
- in doubt; uncertain
- The future of public transport is not in question.
- His sincerity is not in question.
just/merely/only a question of (doing) something
- used to say that something is not difficult to predict, explain, do, etc.
- It's merely a question of time before the business collapses.
- It's just a question of deciding what you really want.
- Now it's just a question of getting the wording right.
a moot point/question
- (British English, North American English) a matter about which there may be difference of opinion or a lack of understanding
- Whether this should be enforced by law or not is a moot point.
a moot question/point
- a matter about which there may be difference of opinion or a lack of understanding
- Whether this should be enforced by law or not is a moot question.
out of the question
- impossible or not allowed and therefore not worth discussing
- Another trip abroad this year is out of the question.
pop the question
- (informal) to ask somebody to marry you
there is/was no question of something happening/of somebody doing something
- there is/was no possibility of something
- There was no question of his/him cancelling the trip so near the departure date.
Check pronunciation:
question