Word family noun question questioning questioner questionnaire adjective questionable ≠ unquestionable questioning ≠ unquestioning unquestioned verb question adverb unquestionably questioningly ≠ unquestioningly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishquestionques‧tion1 /ˈkwestʃən/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 asking for informationASK A QUESTION [countable] a sentence or phrase that is used to ask for information or to test someone’s knowledge OPP answer Can I ask you a question? I’m afraid I can’t answer that question.question about/on They asked me quite a lot of difficult questions about my job. The survey included questions on age and smoking habits.in answer to somebody’s question In answer to your last question, ‘Yes’.2 subject/problemSUBJECT [countable] a subject or problem that needs to be discussed or dealt with SYN issuequestion of We discussed the question of confidentiality. This raises the question of government funding. an urgent need to address the question of crime Several questions have still not been resolved. The question is should I take the job in Japan, or should I stay here? Some important questions remain unanswered (=still have not been dealt with or explained).3 doubtDON'T THINK SO/DOUBT IT [countable, uncountable] if there is some question about something, there is doubt about it, or people feel uncertain about it The exact cause of death is still open to question (=not certain).call/bring/throw something into question (=make people doubt something) This has called into question people’s right to retire at 60. He’s by far the best candidate, there’s no question about it (=it is completely certain). There is no question that (=it is completely certain that) the government knew about the deal.beyond question (=completely certain or definite) Her efficiency and intelligence are beyond question.questions about/over something There are questions about the system’s practicality.4 → without question5 → there is no question of something happening/somebody doing something6 → in question7 → be a question of something8 → it’s just/only/simply a question of doing something9 → be out of the question10 → (that’s a) good question!11 → pop the question → leading question at leading1(4), → rhetorical question at rhetorical(1), → beg the question at beg(6)COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a sentence or phrase that is used to ask for information or to test someone’s knowledgeverbsask (somebody) a questionDon’t be afraid to ask questions.have a question (=want to ask a question)I just have one question: is the treatment effective?pose a question formal (=ask a question)He poses the question, ‘What should we teach our children?’put a question to somebody (=ask a question in a formal situation)I recently put some of these questions to a psychologist.answer a questionYou haven’t answered my question.avoid/evade/dodge a question (=not give a direct answer)He had skilfully evaded Margie’s questions.set a question (=invent a question for a test)He used to set the questions for a TV quiz show.rephrase a question (=ask it in a different way)He didn’t answer, so I rephrased my question.bombard somebody with questions (=ask someone a lot of questions)They bombarded him with questions about the case.field questions (=answer a lot of questions)He fielded questions from reporters about the announcement.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + questiondifficult/hardSome of the questions in the last section were very difficult.easyThese questions should be easy for you.a good question (=interesting or difficult to answer)That’s a good question.a stupid/silly question (=one whose answer is obvious)Did you win, or is that a stupid question?an awkward question (=one that someone does not want to answer)How can we keep the press from asking awkward questions?a tricky/tough question (=one that is difficult to answer)That’s a really tricky question.an embarrassing questionThe media began to ask embarrassing questions about MPs' expenses.a personal question (=one relating to someone’s private life)Can I ask you a personal question?a simple question (=one that is easy to answer)All you have to do is answer the three simple questions below.a searching/probing question (=one designed to find things out)The immigration officer asked me some searching questions.a direct question (=one that asks for information in a very direct way)She was startled by the direct question.an exam/a test questionYou have to answer twenty exam questions.an impertinent question (=one which you have no right to ask)She did not answer the maid’s impertinent question.a rhetorical question (=one that you ask without expecting an answer, in order to make a point)a multiple choice question (=where you are given a set of possible answers) COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a subject or problem that needs to be discussed or dealt withverbsraise a question (=bring it to people’s attention)This study raises several important questions.address a question (=start trying to deal with it)Two questions need to be addressed.discuss a questionThey discussed the question of the possible use of the atomic bomb.consider a questionWe must also consider the question of compensation.deal with a questionThis question will be dealt with in Chapter 4.tackle a question (=try to deal with a difficult question )Who has the ability to tackle the tough questions facing the nation?resolve a question (=deal with it in a satisfactory way)We will proceed just as soon as we can resolve the question of the fee.adjectivesan important/big questionThe book raises important questions about nationality and the role of a citizen.a fundamental questionTheir experiences have highlighted fundamental questions of human rights.serious questionsThe incident has raised serious questions about police conduct.a vexed/thorny question (=one that is hard to deal with)Finally, there’s the thorny question of money.a burning question (=an important one that needs dealing with)Little progress was made on the burning question of Africa’s debt.a moral/ethical question (=one relating to principles of what is right and wrong)This area of medical research poses serious ethical questions that doctors alone cannot answer.unanswered/open (=not dealt with)At this point a key question remains unanswered. THESAURUS – Meaning 1: a sentence or phrase that is used to ask for information or to test someone’s knowledgequestion something that you ask someone, either when speaking or when writingWould anyone like to ask any questions?I’ve emailed the hotel with one or two questions.query /ˈkwɪəri $ ˈkwɪri/ especially British English a question that you ask when you are not sure you have understood something or that the information you have is correctIf you have any queries, please contact your travel agent.Our staff are always available to answer customers’ queries.inquiry (also enquiry especially British English) /ɪnˈkwaɪəri $ ɪnˈkwaɪri, ˈɪŋkwəri/ a question you ask in order to get information or find out the details about somethingWe’ve advertised the house, and we’ve already received lots of enquiries.The police have been making some inquiries in the area.request a polite or formal question asking for something that you want or needThe bank said ‘no’ to our request for more money.You must make your request in writing. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: if there is some question about something, there is doubt about it, or people feel uncertain about itphrasesbe open to question (=not be certain or definitely true)Whether he will survive politically is open to question.be beyond question (=be definite)Her loyalty is beyond question.call/bring/throw something into question (=make people doubt it)He brought into question all the principles on which the Soviet system was based.come into question (=start to be doubted)The special protection given to these animals has come into question in recent years.there’s no question (=it is certain)There’s no question that they have done an outstanding job. Examples from the Corpus
question• Eventually his questioners realized he was not the man they wanted and let him go.• Jim Lehrer was the only questioner of the candidates in the debate.• It is all a question of time.• Are you getting paid to ask questions or unload trucks?• These operations can save lives, but they raise difficult questions about animal rights.• That's a very difficult question to answer.• Last fall, questions were raised about the purchase of a $ 9. 2 million worth of fencing.• Mr Hayes is being kept at Newham police station for questioning.• Does anyone have any further questions?• How can we best help less developed countries? That's the really important question.• I hate it when strangers ask me questions about my private life.• One more question you might ask yourself is: Is it Worth the Fight?• Recent literature on public opinion has managed to shed fascinating new light on that age-old question.• The real question here is how can we integrate asylum seekers into communities.• The lawyer's questioning of the witness did not go on as long as expected.• There were several questions Melanie wanted to ask the interviewer.• Several questions had still not been resolved.• In the 1980s the question of whether photography was an art went to court.• She answered the questions in her interrogation with perfect candour, but her answers had the effect of crystallising her basic thinking.• Beyond the question of weight loss, olestra raises some messy health issues.• Gorbachev wrote that only he and Reagan, talking together, could resolve the questions he raised.question about/on• This is a question on which I do not vet have a view.• Inevitably this raises a question about the logical structure of existential propositions in general.• And that presents a big problem for Gilbert town officials who field constant questions about voting, emergency services and insurance.• Initially, he had bucked against her restraints, often asking her direct questions about her previous life, about his father.• The White House sidestepped questions about linking the gas tax repeal with the minimum wage.• Ask one of the residents to devise the questions on perhaps a different theme each week.• Once the question of who has been resolved, we can explore more of the questions about how.question of• Congress has been discussing the question of term limits. open to question• It is certainly open to question.• It is in fact open to question whether it should be allowed at all, at least in certain types of cases.• It also is open to question how well equipped courts are to make this kind of determination-about the workings of economic markets.• But whether Republicans want to cooperate is open to question.• But how much longer he can survive as a credible force is open to question.• Whether the promises will be kept is open to question.• The entire business of basing regulations on animal tests is open to question.• Whether the yeast could ever be as abundant as this is open to question.• Nevertheless, it is still open to question whether these arrangements are an adequate substitute for parliamentary scrutiny.questionquestion2 ●●● S2 W3 verb [transitive] 1 SCPASK A QUESTIONto ask someone questions in order to get information about something such as a crime → interrogate Two men have been arrested and questioned.question somebody about something She hates being questioned about her past. Joseph questioned the doctors closely (=asked them a lot of questions).► see thesaurus at ask2 DON'T THINK SO/DOUBT ITto have or express doubts about whether something is true, good, necessary etcquestion what/how/when etc Are you questioning what I’m saying? No one dared to question his decisions.question whether One questions whether he’s telling the truth.THESAURUSquestion to ask someone questions in order to get information about something such as a crimeThe police questioned him for three hours before releasing him without charge.When questioned by reporters, he denied all knowledge about the affair.interrogate to keep asking a lot of questions for a long time, sometimes using threats, in order to get informationHe was interrogated by US agents about his alleged links to al-Qaeda. interview to ask someone questions for a newspaper, TV programme etc, or to ask someone questions to find out if they are suitable for a job, course etcDid you hear him being interviewed on ‘the Today Programme’?The woman who interviewed me offered me the job.grill informal to ask someone a lot of difficult questions about something, in a way that is tiring or annoyingShe started grilling me about why I was so late coming home.cross-examine to ask someone a series of questions in court about their previous statements, in order to find out whether they have been telling the truthThe defence lawyer cross-examined the witness in order to test his evidence.be helping police with their inquiries British English to be questioned by the police about a crime – used especially in news reports when the police think that this person may be guilty of the crimeLast night, a 21-year-old woman was helping police with their inquiries. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
question• His leadership and integrity are being questioned.• They were stopped and questioned by the police, who thought they were the real thing.• They questioned her for three hours before releasing her.• We all wondered where Sylvia got the money, but no one dared question her.• What is happening to me? she questioned herself in dismay.• Roughly 1000 people were questioned in the November poll.• The lawyer questioned me about how money was transmitted to Mexico.• Liz was very well informed and questioned me about the political situation in Africa.• The interviewer questioned Miss Jarvis closely about her computer experience.• From a historical standpoint, no one can question the Huskers' right to be called a great team.• After questioning the suspect closely, investigators decided he was not a part of the drug operation.• I have had many letters asking for advice and questioning the use of bark and shavings because of coral spot fungus appearing.• His sin, anticipating Keynes, was to question the value of limitless saving.• But Justice Stanley Mosk questioned whether minors are, indeed, entitled to the same privacy rights as adults.question somebody about something• Byner was questioned by police about the photograph.question what/how/when etc• I followed his commands with blind obedience, never bothering to question what his purpose might have been.• She doesn't question what I do or decide.• Schwarz and Volgy question what it really means to live on the economy budget.• I never thought there was a question how low a strike zone is.• And her mind didn't question how she had got into this situation but how she was going to get out of it.• They 223 question what they read, all the while making and negotiating meaning.• Both chamberlain and clerk accepted it without question when they were dismissed from attendance.• Sierra Leone's press ridicules the peacekeepers as cowards, and questions what use they are.From Longman Business Dictionaryquestionques‧tion1 /ˈkwestʃən/ noun [countable]1a sentence or phrase that asks for informationThey asked me a lot of questions about my work experience.Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.2a subject or problem that needs to be settled, discussed, or dealt withThe real question is whether the employee has any power over customers.question ofThis whole question of measuring risk has became a mess.3a feeling of doubt about somethingThis incident raises further questions about airport security.He is by far the best candidate. There is no question about it.The wisdom of this policy is open to question (=it will be doubted by some people).4in question the things, people etc in question are the ones that are being discussed or talked aboutIs the information in question really a business secret?5out of the question not possible or allowedThe idea of merging with another company was now out of the question.questionquestion2 verb [transitive]1to ask someone questions to find out what they know about somethingNone of the defendants was questioned by the police before their arrest.question somebody about somethingWe have questioned many of our customers about the new services.2to have doubts about whether something is true or if it is the right thing to doThe report questioned ISC’s heavy reliance on three international customers.→ See Verb tableOrigin question1 (1200-1300) Old French Latin quaestio, from quaestus, past participle of quaerere “to ask” 