evaluate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
evaluates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
evaluated,
past participle, past
-
evaluating
present participle
-
to determine or set the value or amount of; appraise.
to evaluate property.
-
to judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality of; assess.
to evaluate the results of an experiment.
-
Mathematics. to determine or calculate the numerical value of (a formula, function, relation, etc.).
verb
-
to ascertain or set the amount or value of
-
to judge or assess the worth of; appraise
-
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
-
evaluationnoun
-
evaluatornoun
-
misevaluateverb (used with object)
-
reevaluateverb (used with object)
-
evaluableadjective
-
evaluativeadjective
-
nonevaluativeadjective
-
unevaluatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
evaluatesimple
-
evaluatessimple
-
have evaluatedperfect
-
has evaluatedperfect
-
am evaluatingprogressive
-
are evaluatingprogressive
-
is evaluatingprogressive
-
have been evaluatingperfect progressive
-
has been evaluatingperfect progressive
Past
-
evaluatedsimple
-
had evaluatedperfect
-
was evaluatingprogressive
-
were evaluatingprogressive
-
had been evaluatingperfect progressive
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary of the Common Core
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts irked Cubs fans a week and a half ago when, asked to evaluate Ohtani’s season overall, he said he’ll still be the NL MVP.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Chelsea, Mudryk and his representatives have entered an initial two-week assessment period to evaluate how he adapts to life back in an elite football environment.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The student managers screen between three and eight deals each week, which could mean they evaluate up to 400 potential investments a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
They do not predict every short-term fluctuation perfectly, but they help scientists evaluate long-term climate patterns and possible future changes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
“We were never able to evaluate the loans before because we never had the data,” said Eisman later.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Then on Tuesday, the AISI, the UK government agency which evaluates cutting-edge models, then said it had detected a "security incident" during a routine evaluation.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The HV measurement refers to Vickers hardness, a test that evaluates how strongly a material resists being indented by a hard tip.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
The company is also well-known for its viral short videos, in which its internet-famous sneaker-authenticator Rami Almordaah evaluates, buys, and sells rare sneakers that often cost thousands of dollars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
And with “In the Mouth of Madness,” he once again evaluates the price of making great art, but this time from a safer distance.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
First off, I don’t go through the line for anything, to avoid that vulnerable moment of coming out into the lunchroom, that moment when every head lifts and evaluates: friend, enemy, or loser.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests it’s pretty close to her current SSI payment of $270, meaning the SSA has probably already evaluated her existing living arrangement and applied the full PMV reduction.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
The NHS breast cancer screening programme is regularly evaluated by the UK National Screening Committee.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Anthropic evaluated more than 141,000 "evaluation runs" and found that three different versions of its model, known as Claude, improperly accessed the systems of three unnamed organizations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
They also stated that there are FDA drugs approved for the same conditions being evaluated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
She evaluated and reflected over what she read.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
González said the decision was taken "after carefully evaluating the current conditions of the Carraízo reservoir in conjunction with weather forecasts".
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Kuntz said after evaluating various options to strengthen the roster, the club concluded that Lozano was the ideal fit to help them tackle the final 15 games of the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
They were then asked to perform another task on a tablet while being told that the researchers were evaluating a mobile application.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
Rio Tinto is weighing a sale of its California borates operations and evaluating options for its iron and titanium business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
She told them, for instance, that even though she was responsible for evaluating subprime mortgage bonds, she wasn’t allowed by her bosses simply to downgrade the ones she thought deserved to be downgraded.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
