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definitions

pretest

[ noun pree-test; verb pree-test ]
/ noun ˈpriˌtɛst; verb priˈtɛst /

noun

an advance or preliminary testing or trial, as of a new product.
a test given to determine if students are sufficiently prepared to begin a new course of study.
a test taken for practice.

verb (used with object)

to give a pretest to (a student, product, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to conduct a pretest: to pretest for consumer acceptance.

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Nearby words

  1. preterm infant,
  2. pretermission,
  3. pretermit,
  4. preternatural,
  5. preterperfect,
  6. pretext,
  7. pretexta,
  8. pretexting,
  9. pretibial fever,
  10. pretibial myxedema

Origin of pretest

First recorded in 1945–50; pre- + test1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for pre-testing

pretest

/ (priːˈtɛst) /

verb (tr)

to test (something) before presenting it to its intended public or client

noun (ˈpriːtɛst)

the act or instance of pretesting
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for pre-testing

pretest

also pre-test, 1949 (v. and n.), from pre- + test.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper