quiz
Americannoun
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quizzes
plural
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an informal test or examination of a student or class.
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a questioning.
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a practical joke; a hoax.
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Chiefly British. an eccentric, often odd-looking person.
verb (used with object)
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quizzes,
present (3rd person singular)
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quizzed,
past participle, past
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quizzing
present participle
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to examine or test (a student or class) informally by questions.
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to question closely.
The police quizzed several suspects.
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Chiefly British. to make fun of; ridicule; mock; chaff.
noun
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an entertainment in which the general or specific knowledge of the players is tested by a series of questions, esp as a radio or television programme
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( as modifier )
a quiz programme
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any set of quick questions designed to test knowledge
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an investigation by close questioning; interrogation
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obsolete a practical joke; hoax
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obsolete a puzzling or eccentric individual
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obsolete a person who habitually looks quizzically at others, esp through a small monocle
verb
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to investigate by close questioning; interrogate
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informal to test or examine the knowledge of (a student or class)
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obsolete (tr) to look quizzically at, esp through a small monocle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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quizsimple
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quizzessimple
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have quizzedperfect
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has quizzedperfect
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am quizzingprogressive
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are quizzingprogressive
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is quizzingprogressive
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have been quizzingperfect progressive
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has been quizzingperfect progressive
Past
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quizzedsimple
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had quizzedperfect
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was quizzingprogressive
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were quizzingprogressive
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had been quizzingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quiz
1775–85 in sense “odd person”; 1840–50 quiz for def. 1; origin uncertain
Explanation
A quiz is a short series of questions with a quick result. A magazine quiz might tell a reader if "he's into you," or a pop quiz in English class will let your teacher know how far you got (or didn't get) in last night's reading. As a verb, quiz means to ask a series of questions. A teacher might quiz his students on the material covered in lecture the day before. A mother might quiz her son as to his plans for after school. The questioning meaning of the noun and verb came into use in the mid-nineteenth century, possibly influence by words like inquisitive. Before that, quiz could refer to an odd or unconventional person, a meaning which eventually gave rise to quizzical, still in use today.
Vocabulary lists containing quiz
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.
See Examples For:
This week, we rolled out a quiz for WSJ readers to see how your personal dress codes stack up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
See if you can get more answers right on the news quiz than Slate’s senior director of podcast operations.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
In that vein, the standard way to figure out your risk tolerance is to take a quiz of some sort.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Sony also is planning a live “Jeopardy!” competition, a throwback to the early days of TV quiz shows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
He was always saying things like Wow, the weather is so weird today and How was your weekend? and Hey, did you study for the quiz on Friday? and it surprised me, every single time.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
Amelia combines discussion of the books with quizzes and games, and events such as book bedazzling, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
But AI wasn’t allowed for quizzes or exams testing memorized subjects, said the 22-year-old, who majored in business computer information systems.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Midterms and in-class quizzes, for which students can’t use AI, now hold more weight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Like barn raisings or pub quizzes, Pynchon may be best tackled among friends, with each contributor volunteering their insights and interpretations to inspire the rest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
S.Q. finished grading the quizzes and stacked the papers on the edge of his desk.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Grohl was quizzed by the pupils about his favourite toothpaste, to which he answered "whitening", before the star told anecdotes including of the time he broke his leg falling off stage in 2015.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Last year, we quizzed readers on the finals’ questions, and we are bringing it back by popular demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Standing with Heidi on a beach in Hawaii, Pratt quizzed Jones about whether his remarks had been unfairly edited.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
As he said just the other day when quizzed about the soldier who was indicted for betting on the prediction market, “The whole world is a casino, it is what it is.”
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
That kind of question reminded him of the way Brother Ugo had quizzed him as a boy.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Humans are still better than AI at securing scarce access to company management teams and quizzing them in-person on granular aspects of the business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
But the idea of sitting down for a date and quizzing each other to see if you’re soulmates is like — what?!
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025
He began a lifelong love of quizzing when playing board game Trivial Pursuit in the 1980s, and has since gone on to face down Anne Robinson in The Weakest Link and take on the Chasers.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2025
Tiffany Anderson, Topeka’s first Black female superintendent, strode to the front of the room, quizzing the children on whether they wanted to be teachers, doctors or even the president of the United States someday.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2024
Saint Sarah sits, barking questions that she’s collected from previous Quiz Bowls, her silk flower turning with her head to gaze at the person she’s asked or aimed her quizzing at.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
