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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

And it’s the biggest stress test “Mormon Wives” has faced in its short and swift rise as a reality TV phenomenon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

"This year will be a real stress test of the measures that were put in place after 2015," said Shi Jun Wee, a University of Maryland graduate student.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 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

The moves came a day after the Federal Reserve released its annual bank stress test results.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

“It’s like a stress test for your plumbing.”

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Divisive primaries happen for a reason; they can help parties work out policy disagreements or stress-test candidates’ mettle.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

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

“We can stress-test our way into never retiring,” Carroll said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

The people who will thrive alongside AI aren’t the ones who surrender to it most efficiently, they’re the ones who use it to stress-test their thinking and expand their cognitive range.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

It’s important to stress-test your financial plan and projections to make sure you can withstand years when the stock market is flat or down, Downing said.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 9, 2026