Jump to:

• 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.

---

stress-test ² American  

[stres-test] / ˈstrɛsˌtɛst /

verb (used with object)

1. to subject to a stress test.

---

Other Word Forms

• stress-testing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of stress test

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Phosphorus-removing microorganisms are less effective when it’s hot, making summer a stress test for CREW’s system.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

At best, they should be viewed as a stress test that our justice system has only partially passed.

From Slate • May 1, 2026

March unfolded like a stress test for U.S. counterterrorism authorities.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

Nor does this stress test take into account your wife’s pension.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

As one senior Morgan Stanley executive put it, “The risk officers came back from the stress test looking very upset.”

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis