wildcard

A symbol that can stand for other letters or text when searching or matching information.

• Use a wildcard to find similar filenames.
• An asterisk often acts as a wildcard.
• This search accepts wildcards at the end of a word.

Similar words: wildcard character

Common phrases: wildcard character, use a wildcard

A person or thing whose behavior or effect is difficult to predict or control.

• The weather is a wildcard in our plans.
• Her brother remains the family’s wildcard.
• A new candidate could be a wildcard in the election.

How to use it: a wildcard in something (His health is a wildcard in the team’s plans.)

Similar words: unknown quantity, unpredictable factor

Common phrases: political wildcard, wildcard in something

Something kept hidden or unused until it is needed to deal with an unexpected situation.

• The team kept one wildcard in reserve.
• Her secret contacts were a useful wildcard during negotiations.
• They revealed their wildcard only when the original plan failed.

Similar words: secret weapon, reserve

Common phrases: a hidden wildcard, keep a wildcard, a strategic wildcard

A symbol used to stand for any sound of a certain kind, such as any vowel.

• Here, C is a wildcard for a consonant.
• The transcription uses a wildcard where the sound is unclear.
• These wildcards represent vowels in the sound pattern.

Common phrases: a wildcard symbol, consonant wildcard, vowel wildcard

To use a special symbol in text so a search can match several different values.

• You can wildcard the filename.
• She wildcarded the ending to find related files.
• Should we wildcard this part of the search?

Common phrases: wildcard a filename, wildcard the suffix, wildcard a search