*

Matches any string of zero or more characters. For example, the following pattern matches both Maureen and Green:

*reen

.

Matches any single character. For example, the following pattern finds the names Dean, Sean, and Jean:

.ean

[ ]

Matches any single character within the specified range. For example, the following pattern matches Larsen and Karsen but not Carsen:

[K-P]arsen

|

Matches any one of the concatenated regular expressions. For example, the following pattern matches Jerrold, Jorge, or Jurgenson.

(Jer*)|(Jor*)|(Jur*)

[^]

Matches any single character not within the specified range. For example the following pattern finds Delano but not Desiree.

De[^s]