Definition of "wildcard" []

• Games A playing card whose value can vary as determined by its holder. (noun)
• Sports An athlete or team selected to compete in a tournament or playoff from among those who did not qualify by meeting the regular requirements. (noun)
• Computer Science A symbol that stands for one or more unspecified characters, used especially in searching text and in selecting multiple files or directories. (noun)
• Slang An unpredictable or unforeseeable factor: A surprise witness proved to be the wild card at the trial. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Fifty results for the term wildcard in the Search forum."
• "PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster in research note issued about an hour ago, raises what he describes as a wildcard possibility around Apple's Sept. 9 event: That it may include an update or refresh to AppleTV."
• "In that race the wildcard is unlikely to be the initial victory margin, but instead disputes over the tens of thousands of write-in votes to be cast for potential winner Sen. Lisa Murkowski."