VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

questions and answers session

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈkwestʃənz ən ˈɑːnsəz ˌseʃn/
US/ˈkwestʃənz ən ˈænsərz ˌseʃn/

Meaning

  1. nouncountable

    A planned period, often after a talk or meeting, when people in the audience ask questions and speakers reply.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say a questions and answers session or two sessions; often shortened to Q&A session.

    Patterns

    • hold a questions and answers session
    • a questions and answers session with someone
    • during the questions and answers session

    The company held a questions and answers session after the annual report.

    Journalists stayed for the questions and answers session with the coach.

    We scheduled a questions and answers session so parents could raise concerns.

Word forms

pluralquestions and answers sessions

Common combinations

hold a questions and answers session
The university will hold a questions and answers session for new students.
a lively questions and answers session
A lively questions and answers session followed the lecture.
during the questions and answers session
She raised the issue during the questions and answers session.
a questions and answers session with the minister
There is a questions and answers session with the minister at noon.
open the floor for a questions and answers session
The chair opened the floor for a questions and answers session.

Synonyms and how they differ

Q&A
The short, informal written form of the same thing, very common in schedules and programs.
open forum
Similar, but it stresses free discussion by anyone present rather than a clear question-and-answer format.
press conference
A meeting with journalists; it often includes questions, but its purpose is announcing news to the media.

Word family

Q&A noun
Abbreviation for questions and answers, used especially for this kind of session.
question noun
Something you ask when you want information.
answer noun
What you say or write in reply to a question.

Commonly confused: questions and answers session or interview?

questions and answers session vs interview

An interview is usually a private meeting between one person and one or a few questioners, while a questions and answers session is open to a group audience.

Practice

Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “questions and answers session”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words