wildcard

/wˈaɪldkɑɹd/

wildcard

English Noun
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Definition

A character that takes the place of any other character or string that is not known or specified.

Etymology

From wild + card.

Example Sentences

  • "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."
  • "There are several technical wildcards, such as how the larger battery packs--four times larger than those of the Prius--will withstand the rigors of city driving, […]"
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