exam
1 Americannoun
abbreviation
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examination.
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examined.
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examinee.
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examiner.
noun
Etymology
Origin of exam
First recorded in 1875–80; short form
Explanation
An exam is a test. Many high school and college classes have a midterm exam and a final exam. The word exam is short for examination, from 19th century student slang. An exam usually takes place in a class and consists of questions that test a student's knowledge. Sometimes the word describes a medical test of some kind, like an eye exam, a dental exam, or a physical exam. Rather than testing knowledge or skill, these exams are procedures meant to diagnose or rule out illnesses.
Vocabulary lists containing exam
Education and Academics, List 2
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Unit 18, Lesson 4
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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.
The pass rate for California’s notoriously difficult bar exam in February 2025 was 64%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
The four-day exam, given roughly once every five years including this week, has a razor-thin pass rate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Your mother would not need to undergo a medical exam before being accepted for guaranteed-issue or simplified-issue plans.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
The exam will have an oversize effect on the future possibilities of this small, mishmash group of students.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
The exam was in twelve weeks, and Neel lugged home piles of extra geometry problems that made his tired brain feel as thick and sticky as mud.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
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.
