noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:W AY1 L D K AA2 R D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A character that takes the place of any other character or string that is not known or specified.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
1968, Digital Equipment Corporation, VAX/VMS 319(5864), page 751, Section 2.1.2 Using Wildcard Characters A wildcard character is a symbol that you can use with many DCL commands to apply the command to several files at once, rather than specifying each file individually.
If the character * is acting as a wildcard, then the pattern a*m matches each of the words amalgam, atom and alum.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An uncontrolled or unpredictable element.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: also written wild card
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An element, often deliberately concealed, which is withheld for contingency.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: also written wild card
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Alternative form of wild card.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A letter or symbol that substitutes for a generic or poorly identified sound, for example capital C for any or some consonant, or capital V for any or some vowel.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
