What is a Query Operator?

A query operator consists of one or more characters that act not as a query word, but as an instruction on how a query is to be processed. An operator can work at word-level, where it applies to a single query term, or at query-level, where its presence affects the processing of the entire query.

Note: When you apply a query operator to a stopword (e.g., the!), the operator is ignored.

Functional Overview

default operator - Used in absence of explicit operator

concept operator - Searches for idea a word represents

OR operator - Imposes Boolean OR logic

AND operator - Imposes Boolean AND logic

NOT operator - Imposes Boolean NOT logic

single character wildcard operator - Matches single variable character

string wildcard operator - Matches variable character string

proximity operator - Searches for unidirectional proximity of two words

adjacency operator - Searches for unidirectional adjacency of two words

near operator - Searches for bidirectional proximity of two words

exact match operator - Searches for exact word match

exact phrase operator - Searches for exact phrase match

fuzzy search operator - Searches for similar spelling

word-level field restriction operator - Restricts word search to field(s)

query-level field restriction operator - Restricts full query search to field(s)

equivalence operator - Searches field for specified value

range operator - Searches field for specified value range

scope of operation delimiters - Imposes algebraic grouping logic

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