evaluate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to determine or set the value or amount of; appraise.
to evaluate property.
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to judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality of; assess.
to evaluate the results of an experiment.
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Mathematics. to determine or calculate the numerical value of (a formula, function, relation, etc.).
verb
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to ascertain or set the amount or value of
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to judge or assess the worth of; appraise
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maths logic to determine the unique member of the range of a function corresponding to a given member of its domain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unevaluatedadjective
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nonevaluativeadjective
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evaluatornoun
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evaluativeadjective
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reevaluateverb (used with object)
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evaluableadjective
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evaluationnoun
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misevaluateverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have evaluatedperfect
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has evaluatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been evaluatingperfect progressive
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is evaluatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are evaluatingprogressive
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am evaluatingprogressive 1st person singular
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evaluatessingular 3rd person
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has been evaluatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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evaluatingparticiple
Past
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had evaluatedperfect
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had been evaluatingperfect progressive
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were evaluatingprogressive plural
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evaluatedparticiple
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evaluatedsimple
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was evaluatingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of evaluate
First recorded in 1835–45; back formation from evaluation
Explanation
When you evaluate something, you're making a judgment, one that most likely results from some degree of analysis. Breaking down the nutritional pros and cons of dessert options is evaluating. Diving into a tub of Ben and Jerry's because you have a craving is not. The word evaluate was used as a mathematics term before it became part of standard usage. Thus, its wonky connotation of objectivity.
Vocabulary lists containing evaluate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary of the Common Core
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Deciding which areas of performance to evaluate and which individual metrics to choose is full of subjective judgments about what will matter most in the years ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
To address this issue, Mody trains APCs in paracervical blocks and is currently conducting three studies to further evaluate the procedure’s effectiveness.
From Slate • Jun. 7, 2026
While the military does not enforce or evaluate religious belief, its internal classification systems help determine how resources are allocated and how chaplain support is structured across bases and deployments.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Under Bilirakis’s proposal, the commission would conduct a review of financial outlooks for both Social Security and Medicare, evaluate policy options and provide Congress with recommendations aimed at ensuring that both programs remain sustainable.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
My parents called Joseph’s counselor twice, then three times, and she said she would like a few weeks to evaluate Joseph before she made the decision about him seeing Jupiter.
From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
