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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evaluationnoun
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evaluatornoun
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misevaluateverb (used with object)
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reevaluateverb (used with object)
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evaluableadjective
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evaluativeadjective
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nonevaluativeadjective
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unevaluatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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evaluatesimple
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evaluatessimple
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have evaluatedperfect
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has evaluatedperfect
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am evaluatingprogressive
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are evaluatingprogressive
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is evaluatingprogressive
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have been evaluatingperfect progressive
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has been evaluatingperfect progressive
Past
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evaluatedsimple
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had evaluatedperfect
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was evaluatingprogressive
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were evaluatingprogressive
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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
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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.
See Examples For:
His decades in Washington gave him unmatched institutional knowledge and influence, but his health concerns also raised questions about whether political institutions have adequate ways to evaluate when leaders should step aside.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Future research will focus on additional testing needed to move DT-109 into clinical trials and evaluate its safety and effectiveness in people.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
MGM set up a special board committee and advisers to evaluate the proposal, which some sources say MGM believes undervalues the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"My threshold for taking control measures is higher now because I have been able to prove to myself that I can evaluate the risks from slug activity with greater accuracy."
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Finally, adoption agencies routinely send staff members to evaluate the child’s milieu, and no reasonable agency is going to send an agent to Afghanistan.”
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
The EPA review "critically evaluates the pesticide's label to ensure that the label contains all warnings necessary to protect human health," the majority said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
In the meantime, TAE has been touring Alabama, Ohio and Texas — states that have Republican governors and legislatures — as it evaluates potential sites for its first fusion power plant.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
The language model evaluates each step and steers the search toward pathways that make chemical sense.
From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026
Now confronting the indictment of Rocha Mayo and others, Sheinbaum, who is inherently cautious, may seek to delay the extradition process, requesting that Washington provide more evidence to Mexico’s foreign ministry, which evaluates extradition requests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 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
They evaluated efforts across six distinct categories: risk assessment, current harms, safety frameworks, existential safety, governance and accountability, and information sharing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Or he might have agreed to have his children evaluated by someone they knew and were comfortable with, like their pediatrician.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Historically, a condo inspection was a superficial affair that only evaluated what was wrong within the four walls of an individual unit.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
“It is also a return to a neighborhood where PwC previously had an office more than two decades ago. We evaluated multiple options and determined Century City was the right fit for our future.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Those who do not commit themselves can be evaluated in two ways.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
In an internal memo published Monday, Chief Executive Oliver Blume said the automaker was evaluating possible workforce adjustments across its various brands and regional subsidiaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
“We are engaged in active discussions with our lending partners and are carefully evaluating all of the alternatives.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
The trial of two potential treatments for Bundibugyo began in the DRC on July 2, and is evaluating the effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
After evaluating multiple possible explanations, one scenario emerged as the strongest candidate: an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart and consuming a white dwarf star.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
Brainy committees are continually evaluating the effectiveness and cost of doing various things in space, defense, energy, transportation, and the like, to give advice about prudent investments for the future.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
