quiz
Americannoun
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an informal test or examination of a student or class.
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a questioning.
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a practical joke; a hoax.
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Chiefly British. an eccentric, often odd-looking person.
verb (used with object)
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to examine or test (a student or class) informally by questions.
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to question closely.
The police quizzed several suspects.
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Chiefly British. to make fun of; ridicule; mock; chaff.
noun
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an entertainment in which the general or specific knowledge of the players is tested by a series of questions, esp as a radio or television programme
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( as modifier )
a quiz programme
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any set of quick questions designed to test knowledge
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an investigation by close questioning; interrogation
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obsolete a practical joke; hoax
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obsolete a puzzling or eccentric individual
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obsolete a person who habitually looks quizzically at others, esp through a small monocle
verb
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to investigate by close questioning; interrogate
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informal to test or examine the knowledge of (a student or class)
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obsolete (tr) to look quizzically at, esp through a small monocle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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quizsimple
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quizzessimple
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have quizzedperfect
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has quizzedperfect
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am quizzingprogressive
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are quizzingprogressive
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is quizzingprogressive
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have been quizzingperfect progressive
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has been quizzingperfect progressive
Past
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quizzedsimple
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had quizzedperfect
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was quizzingprogressive
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were quizzingprogressive
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had been quizzingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quiz
1775–85 in sense “odd person”; 1840–50 quiz for def. 1; origin uncertain
Explanation
A quiz is a short series of questions with a quick result. A magazine quiz might tell a reader if "he's into you," or a pop quiz in English class will let your teacher know how far you got (or didn't get) in last night's reading. As a verb, quiz means to ask a series of questions. A teacher might quiz his students on the material covered in lecture the day before. A mother might quiz her son as to his plans for after school. The questioning meaning of the noun and verb came into use in the mid-nineteenth century, possibly influence by words like inquisitive. Before that, quiz could refer to an odd or unconventional person, a meaning which eventually gave rise to quizzical, still in use today.
Vocabulary lists containing quiz
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:
Murnaghan was a main presenter of BBC Breakfast from September 2002 to December 2007 and also hosted quiz show Eggheads.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
A news quiz that will satisfy your competitive streak: See if you can beat a Slate senior producer’s score—or mine!
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
Warm up those brain muscles with our daily quiz, which tests the limits of your vocabulary.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
At least there won’t be a quiz at the end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
After learning more about chickens and completing Lessons 1 and 2, you may wish to retake the quiz or write a 1,000-word essay on why you ought to be able to keep chickens.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
But AI wasn’t allowed for quizzes or exams testing memorized subjects, said the 22-year-old, who majored in business computer information systems.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
BBC sports editor Dan Roan quizzes Fifa president Gianni Infantino on the eve of the World Cup, after he told journalists to "chill" and "relax" over visa and ticketing issues.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
The company, once popular for its online quizzes and news, said in recent filing it missed a deadline for a $5 million debt repayment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
Like barn raisings or pub quizzes, Pynchon may be best tackled among friends, with each contributor volunteering their insights and interpretations to inspire the rest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
I’m returning the pop quizzes for Ms. Tannenbaum, whose back is turned to us as she hangs up our finished maps.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Poland was quizzed about the conditions of the taxi licence handed out by Sefton Council - which states that drivers are in a "good position to help to keep children and young people safe".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Standing with Heidi on a beach in Hawaii, Pratt quizzed Jones about whether his remarks had been unfairly edited.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
As he said just the other day when quizzed about the soldier who was indicted for betting on the prediction market, “The whole world is a casino, it is what it is.”
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
Kessler also quizzed Rapino about the rising cost of parking and beverages at Live Nation-owned venues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
But when Crick quizzed Watson about the precise numbers, Watson could provide only vague answers.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Reading Cafe features pupils from Holy Cross High School in Hamilton discussing books and quizzing authors, musicians and other cultural figures about literature.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Humans are still better than AI at securing scarce access to company management teams and quizzing them in-person on granular aspects of the business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
But the idea of sitting down for a date and quizzing each other to see if you’re soulmates is like — what?!
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025
It is the fall of 2016 and the 22-year-old is struggling to reach the highest echelons in the little-known world of competitive quizzing.
From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2024
They ate peanut butter crackers, getting gunk all over their teeth while quizzing each other on the periodic table.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
