1
a
: a means of testing: such as
(1)
: something (such as a series of questions or exercises) for measuring the skill, knowledge, intelligence, capacities, or aptitudes of an individual or group
(2)
: a procedure, reaction, or reagent used to identify or characterize a substance or constituent
b
: a positive result in such a test
2
a(1)
: a critical examination, observation, or evaluation : trial
specifically
: the procedure of submitting a statement to such conditions or operations as will lead to its proof or disproof or to its acceptance or rejection
a test of a statistical hypothesis
(2)
: a basis for evaluation : criterion
b
: an ordeal or oath required as proof of conformity with a set of beliefs
c
chiefly British
: cupel
3
: a result or value determined by testing
4
tested; testing; tests
1
: to put to test or proof : try
—often used with out
2
: to require a doctrinal oath of
1
a
: to undergo a test
b
: to be assigned a standing or evaluation on the basis of tests
tested positive for cocaine
the cake tested done
2
: to apply a test as a means of analysis or diagnosis
—used with for
test for mechanical aptitude
1
: of, relating to, or constituting a test
2
: subjected to, used for, or revealed by testing
a test group
test data
: an external hard or firm covering (such as a shell) of many invertebrates (such as a foraminifer or a mollusk)
Synonyms
Examples of test in a Sentence
Verb
Weekly quizzes will test your understanding of the material.
The students will all be tested again at the end of the school year.
The school nurse will be testing students' hearing next week.
She tested positive for the disease.
The water gets tested regularly.
Recent Examples on the Web
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
It was later revealed that Webb had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when she was tested after the crash and that the officers had stopped Webb moments before the deadly crash.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2023
After a record streak of missile launches in 2022, the Kim regime has continued to test a variety of weapons this year in defiance of the U.N. sanctions.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
This recipe was not tested by the Southern Living Test Kitchen.
—Lucy Buffett, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2023
The contents of the bundles tested positive for methamphetamine, and the 31-year-old driver was taken into custody by customs and border protection officers.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2023
The agency tested for the presence of toxic gases, such as benzene, and brought in mobile monitors to detect toxic metals including lead and arsenic.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
This very slow rollout of legal dispensaries has created a vacuum in the supply of safe and tested cannabis products.
—Stu Zakim, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expanding its surveillance program that tests international air travelers for flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), COVID-19, and other viruses.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 10 Nov. 2023
Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 6 July 2022
Our testers evaluated and recorded their pre-test teeth color using the VITA Guide, brushed with the toothpastes as directed for several weeks, and then reevaluated teeth color.
—Danielle Zoellner, Verywell Health, 31 Jan. 2023
Vault runs many of the state's testing sites and its mail-order testing program, and coordinates billing, logistics, physician services and post-test communications.
—Joe Carlson, Star Tribune, 14 July 2021
For the first time, basic language from biostatistics, such as specificity, sensitivity, and pre-test probabilities, found its way into normal conversation.
—Shantanu Nundy, STAT, 17 June 2021
There's a reason child psychologists encourage children to express their feelings through drawings, teachers use coloring activities to conquer pre-test jitters and some dentists use coloring before appointments to ease dental anxiety.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 7 May 2021
The first step in using Bayes’s formula is to assign a number to my pre-test suspicions.
—Clayton Dalton, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2020
But Mungo said a more diverse applicant pool will not help if entry tests and post-test screening is skewed.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 4 June 2020
Eighteen of 25 subjects (72%) complimented the flavour, smooth texture and pleasant aftertaste of the Fudge-o-grafin and 1 (4%) requested more with which to wash down the post-test pie.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 12 July 2011
Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2023
In such cases, the California Supreme Court has established a balancing test to weigh the rights of a reporter against those of the defendant.
—Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 23 Nov. 2023
Keep in mind that, after completing our wash test the filling ended up bunching along the outer edges.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Nov. 2023
The cooking pros at America’s Test Kitchen have said that using a burr grinder wasn’t a surefire upgrade in its coffee taste tests.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
With her vignette—as with all of School Pictures’ beautifully delicate, sad and hilarious songs—Cramer is reaching for nuance in the face of a world that wants test scores and hot takes.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2023
The 5-2 morning line favorite in the seven-furlong test on the main track is Chancery Way, a 4-year-old daughter of Mr. Big out of the barn of Northern California trainer Jamey Thomas.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
It will be viewed as a test of how the war is being conducted.
—NBC News, 11 Nov. 2023
For the film about the father of the atom bomb, director Christopher Nolan — renowned for shooting practical effects — worked closely with Van Hoytema on on-camera experiments to re-create the first test of the bomb without using VFX.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023
See More
Verb
Rachel Arfa, commissioner of Chicago’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, recently tested the SoundShirt at a production of West Side Story.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
It was later revealed that Webb had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when she was tested after the crash and that the officers had stopped Webb moments before the deadly crash.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2023
After a record streak of missile launches in 2022, the Kim regime has continued to test a variety of weapons this year in defiance of the U.N. sanctions.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
This recipe was not tested by the Southern Living Test Kitchen.
—Lucy Buffett, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2023
The contents of the bundles tested positive for methamphetamine, and the 31-year-old driver was taken into custody by customs and border protection officers.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2023
The agency tested for the presence of toxic gases, such as benzene, and brought in mobile monitors to detect toxic metals including lead and arsenic.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
This very slow rollout of legal dispensaries has created a vacuum in the supply of safe and tested cannabis products.
—Stu Zakim, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expanding its surveillance program that tests international air travelers for flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), COVID-19, and other viruses.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 10 Nov. 2023
Adjective
The average fifth-grade teacher in Montgomery County spends one out of five days in the school year dealing with test prep, testing and post-test data collection.
—Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 6 July 2022
Our testers evaluated and recorded their pre-test teeth color using the VITA Guide, brushed with the toothpastes as directed for several weeks, and then reevaluated teeth color.
—Danielle Zoellner, Verywell Health, 31 Jan. 2023
Vault runs many of the state's testing sites and its mail-order testing program, and coordinates billing, logistics, physician services and post-test communications.
—Joe Carlson, Star Tribune, 14 July 2021
For the first time, basic language from biostatistics, such as specificity, sensitivity, and pre-test probabilities, found its way into normal conversation.
—Shantanu Nundy, STAT, 17 June 2021
There's a reason child psychologists encourage children to express their feelings through drawings, teachers use coloring activities to conquer pre-test jitters and some dentists use coloring before appointments to ease dental anxiety.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 7 May 2021
The first step in using Bayes’s formula is to assign a number to my pre-test suspicions.
—Clayton Dalton, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2020
But Mungo said a more diverse applicant pool will not help if entry tests and post-test screening is skewed.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 4 June 2020
Eighteen of 25 subjects (72%) complimented the flavour, smooth texture and pleasant aftertaste of the Fudge-o-grafin and 1 (4%) requested more with which to wash down the post-test pie.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 12 July 2011
Noun
Some of the big winners from our camping chair tests are also heavily marked down, including the Kelty Lowdown Loveseat, Kijaro Dual Lock Camping Chair, and GCI Outdoor Zero Gravity Camping Chair.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2023
In such cases, the California Supreme Court has established a balancing test to weigh the rights of a reporter against those of the defendant.
—Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 23 Nov. 2023
Keep in mind that, after completing our wash test the filling ended up bunching along the outer edges.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Nov. 2023
The cooking pros at America’s Test Kitchen have said that using a burr grinder wasn’t a surefire upgrade in its coffee taste tests.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
With her vignette—as with all of School Pictures’ beautifully delicate, sad and hilarious songs—Cramer is reaching for nuance in the face of a world that wants test scores and hot takes.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2023
The 5-2 morning line favorite in the seven-furlong test on the main track is Chancery Way, a 4-year-old daughter of Mr. Big out of the barn of Northern California trainer Jamey Thomas.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
It will be viewed as a test of how the war is being conducted.
—NBC News, 11 Nov. 2023
For the film about the father of the atom bomb, director Christopher Nolan — renowned for shooting practical effects — worked closely with Van Hoytema on on-camera experiments to re-create the first test of the bomb without using VFX.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'test.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, vessel in which metals were assayed, potsherd, from Anglo-French test, tees pot, Latin testum earthen vessel; akin to Latin testa earthen pot, shell
Noun (2)
Latin testa shell
First Known Use
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2c
Verb
1748, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
1687, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (2)
circa 1842, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of test was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing test
Dictionary Entries Near test
Cite this Entry
“Test.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/test. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
test
1 of 3 noun1
: a means of finding out the nature, quality, or value of something
put the new car to the test
2
: a procedure or method for identifying something
a test for starch
allergy tests
3
: a set of questions or problems designed to find out a person's knowledge, skills, or intelligence
4
: a result of or rating based on a test
uses 80-pound test fishing line
test
2 of 3 verb1
: to put to test or proof : try
test out your strength
2
a
: to take part in a test
actors testing for roles in the play
b
: to achieve or be assigned a rating on the basis of tests
the class tested high in math
3
: to use tests as a way to analyze or identify
test for copper
testable
adjective
ˈtes-tə-bəl
test
3 of 3 noun
: a firm or rigid covering (as a shell) of many invertebrates
Medical Definition
test
1 of 3 noun1
: a critical examination, observation, evaluation, or trial
specifically
: the procedure of submitting a statement to such conditions or operations as will lead to its proof or disproof or to its acceptance or rejection
a test of a statistical hypothesis
2
: a means of testing: as
a(1)
: a procedure or reaction used to identify or characterize a substance or constituent
a test for starch using iodine
(2)
: a reagent used in such a test
b
: a diagnostic procedure for determining the presence or nature of a condition or disease or for revealing a change in function
c
: something (as a series of questions or exercises) for measuring the skill, knowledge, intelligence, capacities, or aptitudes of an individual or group
3
: a result or value determined by testing
test
2 of 3 transitive verb
: to subject to a test
1
: to undergo a test
2
: to apply a test as a means of analysis or diagnosis
—used with for
test for the presence of starch
test
3 of 3 adjective1
: of, relating to, or constituting a test
the test environment affected the scores
2
: subjected to, used for, or revealed by testing
test substances
More from Merriam-Webster on test
Nglish: Translation of test for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of test for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about test
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share