standard error

American  

noun

Statistics.

1. the standard deviation of a distribution of a sample statistic, especially when the mean is used as the statistic.

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standard error British  

noun

1. statistics the estimated standard deviation of a parameter, the value of which is not known exactly

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standard error Scientific  

1. The standard deviations of the sample in a frequency distribution, obtained by dividing the standard deviation by the total number of cases in the frequency distribution.

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Etymology

Origin of standard error

First recorded in 1895–1900

Compare meaning

How does standard-error compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• standard deviation vs. standard error

Example Sentences

So, each IQ test score has a standard error of measurement that accounts for the margin of error above and below the test-taker’s score.

From Slate

And even when the Tennessee Supreme Court later determined that the standard error of measurement should be considered when looking at someone’s IQ in a capital case, which could have brought Payne’s score into a disability range, his lawyers faced a nightmarish system of bureaucracy.

From Scientific American

There's, you know, a standard error of measurement in all science.

From Scientific American

And in the context of intellectual disability, that standard error of measurement is plus or minus five points...

From Scientific American

It seems the app didn’t work, though — the Reddit user also shared a photo of a message that said, “This app is playable only on PS4,” which Eurogamer says is a standard error message when an app isn’t available.

From The Verge