Meaning & use
wild card
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person, team, or factor whose influence is hard to predict and could change the result.
Grammar: Countable: use a/an or the, and a plural -s: a wild card, the wild card, wild cards.
Patterns
- a wild card in something
- be a wild card
- the wild card factor
The young striker is a wild card who could score at any moment.
Weather is always a wild card in planning an outdoor event.
Her sudden decision to run for mayor made her a wild card in the election.
nouncountablesport
An extra place in a sports tournament given to a player or team that did not qualify normally.
Grammar: Often used before another noun: a wild card entry, a wild card place.
Patterns
- get a wild card
- receive a wild card
- a wild card entry
She received a wild card into the main draw of the tennis tournament.
The committee gave the host nation a wild card for the World Cup.
He entered the competition as a wild card and reached the semifinals.
Word forms
| plural | wild cards |
|---|
Common combinations
- a wild card entry
- The unknown player got a wild card entry to the Grand Slam.
- play the wild card
- The coach decided to play the wild card in the final minutes.
- a wild card in the race
- The independent candidate is a wild card in the race.
- a wild card team
- The wild card team surprised everyone by winning the series.
- be seen as a wild card
- The new manager is seen as a wild card by the fans.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unknown
- Use for a person or thing whose abilities or effects are not yet known; wild card often suggests possible sudden impact, while unknown is more neutral.
- joker
- In card games, a joker is an extra card that can stand for any other; in general use, it can mean an unpredictable person, but it is less formal and often humorous.
- variable
- A factor that can change; more technical and neutral than wild card, which stresses unpredictability.
Opposites
Word family
- wildcard noun
- One word, used especially in computing for a symbol that matches any character.
Commonly confused: wild card or wildcat?
wild card vs wildcat
Wildcat is a type of wild cat or a risky business deal; wild card is about unpredictability or a sports place.
Practice
The young player was given a ______ into the tournament even though she had not qualified.
Choose one answer.
A wild card is an extra place in a tournament for someone who did not qualify normally. Wildcat is an animal or a risky business deal; wildfire is a large fire; wilderness is an uncultivated area.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wild card”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.