wild card

noun

: an unknown or unpredictable factor

: one picked to fill a leftover playoff or tournament berth after regularly qualifying competitors have all been determined

usually wildcard

ˈwī(-ə)l(d)-ˌkärd

: 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.

The Wild hold a 2-point lead for third place in the Central Division (over wild card Colorado) with two games left before the 4 Nations Face-Off. —

Joe Smith, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025 On the Democratic side, Sen. John Fetterman is a potential wild card. —

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2025 Mars retrograde in Cancer, on the other hand, is a bit more of a wild card. —

Valerie Mesa, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025 Jim Murphy has been a source of inspiration for Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, who was seen by millions reading Murphy’s Inner Excellence on the sidelines of Sunday’s wild card round win over the Green Bay Packers. —

Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for wild card