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
ˈwī(-ə)l(d)-ˌkärd How to pronounce wild card (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
New York is three games ahead of Boston for the top American League wild card and 4 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Not with the Mets (61-75) 12 games back in the chase for the National League’s final wild card spot with 26 games left. — Will Sammon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, Williams received a wild card to play women’s doubles with her sister Venus. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 30 Aug. 2026 Four others are at the Rangers, who were ½-game behind Houston for the AL West lead and two behind Cleveland for the third wild card. — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wild card

Word History

Etymology

wild card, playing card with arbitrarily determined value

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wild card was in 1971

Rhymes for wild card

See All Rhymes for wild card

Browse Nearby Words

wild caraway
wild card
wild carrot
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wild card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild%20card. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wild card

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wild card

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