What does "questionnaire" mean?

1. (a survey form) a set of written questions that you give to many people to collect facts or opinions. 2. (to give a survey to) to ask people questions using a formal list or form.

How do you use "questionnaire"?

Commonly used with the verbs 'complete', 'fill out', or 'administer'. This verbal use is less common than the noun form and is typically restricted to formal research contexts.

questionnaire — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I filled a questionnaire."?

No — say "I filled out a questionnaire.". In English, you 'fill out' or 'complete' a form or questionnaire; 'fill' is used for containers like glasses or buckets.

Word

01a survey form

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a set of written questions that you give to many people to collect facts or opinions.

n. a printed or digital list of questions used to gather data for a survey, study, or census.

“Please complete this short questionnaire about your stay at our hotel.”

“The researchers distributed a detailed questionnaire to over five hundred participants to assess their dietary habits and lifestyle choices.”

Usage

Commonly used with the verbs 'complete', 'fill out', or 'administer'.

Pitfall

I filled a questionnaire.

I filled out a questionnaire.

In English, you 'fill out' or 'complete' a form or questionnaire; 'fill' is used for containers like glasses or buckets.

Synonyms

survey form poll

02to give a survey to

C2 · Proficiency Academic · Formal

v. to ask people questions using a formal list or form.

v. to survey a population or group by means of a questionnaire. Transitive — takes the group being surveyed as the direct object.

“The company decided to questionnaire all its employees about the new office rules.”

“The department plans to questionnaire the local residents regarding the proposed urban redevelopment project before finalizing the budget.”

Usage

This verbal use is less common than the noun form and is typically restricted to formal research contexts.

Synonyms

survey poll interview

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “questionnaire” in context.

Verb

01. administer a questionnaire

“The teacher administered a questionnaire to the students to find out their learning preferences.”

verb + noun

02. complete a questionnaire

“Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about their daily exercise habits.”

verb + noun

03. design a questionnaire

“The researchers spent weeks designing a questionnaire to measure customer satisfaction.”

verb + noun

04. fill out a questionnaire

“Please fill out this questionnaire and return it to the front desk when you are finished.”

verb + noun

Adjective

05. anonymous questionnaire

“We used an anonymous questionnaire so that employees would feel comfortable being honest.”

adj + noun

06. detailed questionnaire

“The doctor asked me to provide information through a detailed questionnaire about my medical history.”

adj + noun

07. online questionnaire

“You can access the online questionnaire by clicking the link in your email.”

adj + noun

Noun

08. questionnaire results

“The questionnaire results showed that most people prefer working from home.”

noun + noun

“Rastrelli also gave his subjects a questionnaire about their relationship with social media.”

The Guardian 22 Aug 2026

“Both teens and parents responded to questionnaires collecting data about the teen's relationship with their dog and how the teen copes with stress from peers.”

Phys.org 17 Aug 2026

Borrowed from French questionnaire, from Late Latin quaestionarius, from quaestio (English question) + -arius, from quaerō (“I question”) (English query).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

question(A1)

questioning(B2)

questionnaire(B2)

ADJECTIVE

questionable(B2)

unquestionable(C1)

ADVERB

unquestionably(B2)