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

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

The standard error of the mean is an example of a standard error.

From Textbooks • Sep. 19, 2013

Whenever eight or more specimens from one locality were available, the mean, range, standard deviation, standard error of the mean, and coefficient of variability were calculated.

From Geographic Distribution and Taxonomy of the Chipmunks of Wyoming by White, John A.