taster

American  

[tey-ster] / ˈteɪ stər /

noun

1. a person who tastes, especially one skilled in distinguishing the qualities of liquors, tea, etc., by the taste.

2. a container for taking samples or tasting.

3. a wide shallow cup, usually metal, for holding wine to be tasted, as by a professional taster.

4. a person employed or ordered to taste the food and drink prepared for a king, dictator, etc., to ascertain the presence of poison.

5. Genetics. a person able to taste phenylthiourea or some other test substance.

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taster British  

/ ˈteɪstə /

noun

1. a person who samples food or drink for quality

2. any device used in tasting or sampling

3. a person employed, esp formerly, to taste food and drink prepared for a king, etc, to test for poison

4. a sample or preview of a product, experience, etc, intended to stimulate interest in the product, experience, etc, itself

   the single serves as a taster for the band's new album

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Other Word Forms

• pretaster
  noun

Etymology

Origin of taster

1350–1400; Middle English tastour < Anglo-French. See taste, -er ¹

Example Sentences

The friends have already introduced several of their Nail It DIY taster sessions that have attracted attendees of various ages and experience levels.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

A stunning average of 113.35 saw him level it at 1-1 with a 117 checkout and was a taster of what was to come in the sets that followed.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

Despite putting himself out there by going to taster sessions for various societies, he couldn't find his people.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

"I know what to expect with the audience... it was a bit of a taster run."

From BBC • Sep. 15, 2025

Every product in the supermarket can be analyzed along these lines, and after a taster has worked with these scales for years, they become embedded in the taster’s unconscious.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• bowl
• drink
• mug