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 • Dec. 8, 2025

The margin of error depends on the confidence level or percentage of confidence and the standard error of the mean.

From Textbooks • Mar. 27, 2020

For the hypothesis test, we calculate the estimated standard deviation, or standard error, of the difference in sample means, X¯ – X¯ .

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

The population value for the standard error of the distribution of estimates of β2 .

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

As an indication of variability and for comparison with other series the coefficient of variability and two times the standard error of the mean for each measurement in this series are included in Table 1.

From Subspeciation in the Meadow Mouse, Microtus montanus, in Wyoming and Colorado by Anderson, Sydney