testament
testament
American
[tes-tuh-muhnt]
/ ˈtɛs tə mənt /
noun
-
testaments
plural
-
Law.
-
either of the two major portions of the Bible: the Mosaic or old covenant or dispensation, or the Christian or new covenant or dispensation.
-
(initial capital letter) the New Testament, as distinct from the Old Testament.
-
(initial capital letter) a copy of the New Testament.
-
a covenant, especially between God and humans.
testament
1
British
/ ˈtɛstəmənt /
noun
-
law a will setting out the disposition of personal property (esp in the phrase last will and testament )
-
a proof, attestation, or tribute
his success was a testament to his skills
-
-
a covenant instituted between God and man, esp the covenant of Moses or that instituted by Christ
-
a copy of either the Old or the New Testament, or of the complete Bible
-
Testament
2
British
/ ˈtɛstəmənt /
noun
-
either of the two main parts of the Bible; the Old Testament or the New Testament
-
the New Testament as distinct from the Old
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of testament
1250–1300; Middle English: will, covenant < Latin testāmentum, equivalent to testā ( rī ) to bear witness ( see testate) + -mentum -ment
Explanation
A testament is a statement of belief. The most famous testaments are the two parts of the Christian Bible: the Old and New Testaments. A testament states a belief or gives some kind of direction. The document people leave behind at death is known as the "last will and testament." It gives lawyers directions for dividing their possessions among family and friends. Also, you could say that an A in math class is a testament to your math skills. If you give to charity, that’s a testament to your character. Any testament is a strong statement of some kind.
Vocabulary lists containing testament
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The Westing Game
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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.
See Examples For:
Following the latest fundraising, Lovable will be Menlo’s largest single investment after Anthropic—“a testament to how bullish we are on Lovable’s outlook,” said Matt Murphy, one of the firm’s partners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Prince George’s County moratorium is thus a testament to how community resistance can hold elected officials to account—but also a note of caution.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
“It’s a testament to what an iconic place it is because we were like, ‘There’s one option here and it’s MSG.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
They’re right to sort this out now: Neither a last will and testament nor joint tenancy with right of survivorship will necessarily be the final word.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
I had added my indelible mark to Laconia Avenue, a testament to the world that Wes Moore lived—or at least Kid Kupid did.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Mr. Landor’s religious vow, based in the Old Testament, was not to cut his hair, which nearly reached his knees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Senate in Texas on a platform The New Yorker recently described as basically the New Testament.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
"Let me say this plainly: this is not a golden calf," he said later that night on X, referring to the Old Testament idol that famously made Moses irate after he received the Commandments.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
He posted a graphic referencing Ivey’s situation along with a quote from the New Testament.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026
The Catholic Church has survived for centuries, not by passing on a ‘celibacy gene’ from one pope to the next, but by passing on the stories of the New Testament and of Catholic canon law.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
At Superposition, John Rivas’s multimedia paintings and rough-hewn wooden sculptures depicting his kin are testaments to the importance of family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
Borglum believed the American political system was the apotheosis of human civilization, and he wanted his sculpture to stand alongside the Parthenon and pyramids as testaments to grand civilizations and cultures.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2025
These ancient structures, dating from 4,000 to 2,000 BCE, stand as enduring testaments to early human culture and belief systems.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2024
“These inanimate objects are testaments to what we, as a society, can do and how it takes a community to steward history forward,” Siegel says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
It is characteristic of the many testaments of philosophers, found in Diogenes Laertius, that they contain declarations giving slaves their freedom.
From Principles Of Political Economy by John J. (John Joseph) Lalor
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.
