evaluate
Americanverb (used with object)
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evaluates,
present (3rd person singular)
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evaluated,
past participle, past
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evaluating
present participle
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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:
This approach provides you with flexibility to evaluate your circumstances every year, and also “avoids making a large, irreversible tax decision based on a single year’s circumstances.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Mozeliak said he will ask those leaders to evaluate their departments and make personnel recommendations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
UNC billed the investigation as a way to evaluate claims through an “independent, impartial lens,” but it also retained a SCiLL critic as its expert consultant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
The warnings had come from four different people in the space of minutes and helped him evaluate the impending danger.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Let the reader beware at this point: I am not the best person to evaluate the Third World Student Movement.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
The Japanese company has started testing Advanced Micro Devices GPUs as it evaluates whether to use them alongside Nvidia’s chips to reduce costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Professor WooChul Jung, who led the study, stated: "This research is significant because it quantitatively evaluates the performance of nanocatalysts while also identifying their actual reaction sites and operating mechanisms."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
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
She remains on a leave of absence while the council evaluates all of the facts surrounding the incident, Sausalito Mayor Steven Woodside said in a Tuesday evening statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Each week he evaluates our progress and makes a note on the wall.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
The studies enrolled around 2,000 patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis—the most common form of the disease, in which patients experience new or worsening neurological symptoms—and evaluated Novartis’s drug against Sanofi’s Aubagio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Resnick evaluated Clancy after the killings and reviewed her medical records.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Companies enrol robots, who are evaluated and given training tailored to their "future role in the workplace".
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Researchers evaluated three major features associated with Alzheimer's disease: amyloid-beta plaques, tau tangles, and neuritic plaques, which are amyloid plaques surrounded by damaged nerve cells.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
After propping Koffi against a tree, Ekon made something of a camp, then evaluated their food options.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
This experiment advances both goals at once by combining large-scale logical quantum computing with a method for evaluating the reliability of a calculation that is already beyond practical classical simulation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Katie and our team continue to learn a great deal from the community,” its spokesperson said, “and we are now evaluating those insights to refine how we leverage the platform moving forward.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
"We remain firmly committed to providing the greatest possible access for both the media and the public," he said, adding that the court is "evaluating the complex logistical and safety considerations involved".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
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
In evaluating the intentions and feelings of others, his ability to separate the real situation from his own mental projections is very poor.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
