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.

optional character wildcard operator - Matches single variable character or no 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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