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• stress test
  stress test

  noun

  a test, especially one conducted in a laboratory, to determine how much pressure, tension, wear, or the like a given product or material can withstand.
• stress-test
  stress-test

  verb (used with object)

  to subject to a stress test.

stress test

¹ American  

noun

1. a test, especially one conducted in a laboratory, to determine how much pressure, tension, wear, or the like a given product or material can withstand.

2. Medicine/Medical. a test of cardiovascular health made by recording heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and other parameters while a person undergoes physical exertion.

3. a simulation test to determine how a given institution, system, etc., would perform under greater than usual stresses or pressures.

   the government’s stress test for big banks;

   mandatory stress tests for nuclear plants;

   a website stress test that simulates peak traffic.

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stress-test ² American  

[stres-test] / ˈstrɛsˌtɛst /

verb (used with object)

1. to subject to a stress test.

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Other Word Forms

• stress-testing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of stress test

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stress test stress-test

The next big chapter in the AI narrative, the next stress test for the industry and its capex plans, is looming as results for the hyperscalers start to appear from July 22.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

This last supper of a season is a culmination of all their training, formal and otherwise, blending into a stress test that amazingly feels less stressful than many of this show’s loudest cortisol-spiking installments.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

Plus, big banks ace an annual stress test, and more bald men shake their heads at hair transplants and toupees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

It would be folly to assume your 10%-15% annual return will continue indefinitely; assume a more conservative return of 5%-7% a year, especially if you wish to stress test your finances.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

When he insisted she have a stress test first, a receptionist gave her the first available appointment— seven weeks away.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

But heatwaves are a "stress-test" for women's cardiovascular systems, and hit them harder than men, Dr Nighat Arif, an NHS GP who specialises in women's health, told the BBC.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

The company expects to deploy 20 Starlink simulators during the mission, and stress-test tiles designed to protect the craft as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere from space.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

It’s time to consider and stress-test what was once thought as unthinkable: Can a sustained breakdown of the “Magnificent Seven” and AI hyperscalers crash both the U.S. stock market and the economy?

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026

With Anthropic, another major AI startup, you will stress-test the AI “agent” idea in the most journalistically responsible way possible: by putting a bot-powered vending machine in a newsroom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

After you stress-test your finances, decide whether you keep working until you’re 65.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026