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• test
  test

  noun

  the means by which the presence, quality, or genuineness of anything is determined; a means of trial.
• test.
  test.

  abbreviation

  testator.
• Test.
  Test.

  abbreviation

  Testament.

Trivia Time

Test comes from a Latin word referring to what?

Test Your Knowledge

test

¹ American  

[test] / tɛst /

noun

1. the means by which the presence, quality, or genuineness of anything is determined; a means of trial.

   Synonyms:

   assay, proof

2. the trial of the quality of something.

   to put to the test.

3. a particular process or method for trying or assessing.

4. a set of questions, problems, or the like, used as a means of evaluating the abilities, aptitudes, skills, or performance of an individual or group; examination.

5. Psychology. a set of standardized questions, problems, or tasks designed to elicit responses for use in measuring the traits, capacities, or achievements of an individual.

6. Chemistry.

   1. the process of identifying or detecting the presence of a constituent of a substance, or of determining the nature of a substance, commonly by the addition of a reagent.

   2. the reagent used.

   3. an indication or evidence of the presence of a constituent, or of the nature of a substance, obtained by such means.

7. an oath or other confirmation of one's loyalty, religious beliefs, etc.

8. British. a cupel for refining or assaying metals.

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verb (used with object)

• tests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tested,
  past participle,  past
• testing
  present participle

1. to subject to a test of any kind; try.

   Synonyms:

   examine, prove, assay

2. Chemistry. to subject to a chemical test.

3. Metallurgy. to assay or refine in a cupel.

verb (used without object)

• tests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tested,
  past participle,  past
• testing
  present participle

1. to undergo a test or trial; try out.

2. to perform on a test.

   People test better in a relaxed environment.

3. to conduct a test.

   to test for diabetes.

test ² American  

[test] / tɛst /

noun

1. Zoology. the hard, protective shell or covering of certain invertebrates, as echinoderms or tunicates.

2. Botany. testa.

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test. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. testator.

2. testimony.

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Test. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Testament.

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test ¹ British  

/ tɛst /

verb

1. to ascertain (the worth, capability, or endurance) of (a person or thing) by subjection to certain examinations; try

2. (often foll by for) to carry out an examination on (a substance, material, or system) by applying some chemical or physical procedure designed to indicate the presence of a substance or the possession of a property

   to test food for arsenic

   to test for magnetization

3. (intr) to achieve a specified result in a test

   a quarter of the patients at the clinic tested positive for the AIDS virus

4. (tr) to put under severe strain

   the long delay tested my patience

5. to make an exploratory or initial approach; sound out

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noun

1. a method, practice, or examination designed to test a person or thing

2. a series of questions or problems designed to test a specific skill or knowledge

   an intelligence test

3. a standard of judgment; criterion

4. 1. a chemical reaction or physical procedure for testing a substance, material, etc

   2. a chemical reagent used in such a procedure

      litmus is a test for acids

   3. the result of the procedure or the evidence gained from it

      the test for alcohol was positive

5. sport See test match

6. archaic a declaration or confirmation of truth, loyalty, etc; oath

7. (modifier) performed as a test

   test drive

   test flight

test ² British  

/ tɛst /

noun

1. the hard or tough outer covering of certain invertebrates and tunicates

2. a variant of testa

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test Idioms  

1. see acid test; put to the test.

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Usage

What is a basic definition of test? A test is a series of questions or problems that is used to determine a person’s ability or understanding of something. More generally, test refers to a trial, experiment, or examination that is designed to determine the qualities or characteristics of someone or something. As a verb, test means to assess someone’s knowledge or abilities, to put someone or something through a trial, or to try something out. The word test has several other senses as a noun and a verb. A test is a collection of questions, tasks, or problems that are designed to see if a person understands a subject or to measure their ability to do something. Real-life examples: Most schooling involves taking tests in many subjects, such as math and history. Lawyers must do well on a particularly difficult test, known as the bar examination, to be able to practice law. Used in a sentence: I studied all night for my chemistry test. Test can also be used in this context as a verb meaning to administer such a test. Real-life examples: Teachers test their students’ knowledge by giving them quizzes and tests. Used in a sentence: Yes, you will be tested on this. As a noun, test also refers to an experiment or trial that is designed to discover information about something. Real-life examples: Scientists and researchers create many tests (often called experiments) to learn new information or to see if a hypothesis is correct. A test of a chemical might involve how it reacts with other chemicals. Companies and businesses use safety tests to see if their products are safe for customers. A pregnancy test analyzes body fluids for hormones to determine whether someone is pregnant. Used in a sentence: The scientists used several different tests to determine how much pollution was in the drinking water. Related to this sense, test can mean to put something through a trial or test or to try it. Real-life examples: People often test products before purchasing them. When buying a car, you can test how it drives by taking it on a test drive. Testing a person often involves making them endure some kind of trial. Used in a sentence: The boss is just testing you because you’re new—he wants to see if you can handle the pressure.

Synonym Usage

See trial.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• testability
  noun
• nontestable
  adjective
• nontesting
  adjective
• self-testing
  adjective
• testable
  adjective
• testing
  adjective
• untestable
  adjective
• untested
  adjective
• well-tested
  adjective
• testingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• testing
  present
• tested
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• test
  simple
• tests
  simple
• have tested
  perfect
• has tested
  perfect
• am testing
  progressive
• are testing
  progressive
• is testing
  progressive
• have been testing
  perfect progressive
• has been testing
  perfect progressive

Past

• tested
  simple
• had tested
  perfect
• was testing
  progressive
• were testing
  progressive
• had been testing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will test
  simple
• will have tested
  perfect
• will be testing
  progressive
• will have been testing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of test¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: test(e), tast(e) “crucible; cupel,” from Old French “test, teste,” Latin testū, testum “earthenware pot”; akin to test ²

Origin of test²

First recorded in 1840–45; from Latin testa “tile, shell, covering”; akin to test ¹

Explanation

If your boss tells you not to test her patience, she means don't push her today, because she might just snap. Surely you're familiar with vocabulary tests? In this case, someone is giving you difficult questions to see how much you know. Test more generally means "trial." If you test a soap on your skin, you use it on one small patch, to see if you'll have an allergic reaction. A drug test looks for the presence of drugs in your system. A difficult time in life is sometimes called "a test," because it's testing your strength to persevere.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

test test. Test. tests tested testing

She may have contracted the disease from a broken test tube, the outlet reported, without elaborating.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

"An important next step will be to design clinical trials to test whether short-term dietary changes can improve clinical outcomes in patients."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

The game's been well-received by critics and players, but it's also seen as a big test of Xbox's new direction.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

According to the College Board, which administers the SAT, among students who took the test in 2024, 27% of Asian students scored 1400 or higher, compared with 7% of white students.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

“You could do it easy. There’s a quiz on Tuesday on this stuff. Hey, it’s a long weekend, remember … and a test a week from Monday.”

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

"We felt that airflow increase on the 4850 Level during that test. That's what made the correlation and triggered everything," Connot said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

“But when you walk down the streets of Los Angeles, it doesn’t feel like it, so she hasn’t passed the field test. That’s the problem.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

“Prostate cancer screenings. They’ve learned there is a simple, finger-free blood test. Roughly one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. And I was one of them.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

"They test way underground where people don't know exactly what's happening with the test. You feel a little bit of a vibration," he added.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2025

“I’m totally going to fail this test. I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.”

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

"We've got loads of time, there's about 12 weeks until the first Test. We'll see how the next little bit pans out."

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2025

“It’s really good for a young guy to put in a performance that wins England a Test. He was pretty emotional at the end. It’s a pretty cool day for him.”

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2024

“Brisbane is something we can look at. We came back and we won the Test. If we can replicate that, all of us will be really happy,” added Da Silva.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2024

Baum, meanwhile, insists that England must now press their advantage home and win the fifth Test. "2-2 would be a hollow outcome," he says.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 29, 2010

Swete, Introd. to the Old Test. in Greek, 257 seq.;

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various

Rospotrebnadzor said Wednesday that the situation in the Irkutsk region remained "stable", and that nearly 5,000 tests had been conducted, none of which revealed dangerous pathogens.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

The report says ChatGPT failed tests tied to three requirements of California’s Adam’s Law: crisis referrals, parental alerts and age assurance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

While still undergoing tests at Texas A&M University, this new seeding agent moves Recast away from silver iodide as the go-to compound.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

But if Aurich routinely gives the Crimson the most stressful practice tests in football, he also slips them the most valuable cheat sheet in the Ivy League.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Sensing this, Dr. Kline didn’t give him any of the battery of personality, intelligence, or interest tests usually used to assess a child.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The Institute said it tested upward of 4,000 prompts on accounts registered to 13- to 17-year-olds, including tests before and after the release of ChatGPT for Teens in August.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Russian officials are still investigating the cause of the death, but they say those who came into contact with the researcher all tested negative for pneumonic plague.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Researchers posing as teenagers with San Francisco Bay Area-based accounts tested more than 4,000 prompts before and after the launch of ChatGPT for Teens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

However, over a year later, he tested the market with an ask of $145 million for his property in Seminole Beach Estate.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

First Turkey slowly turned her head toward Darkness and said, “Darkness, you have tested young Nathan. Would you weigh in on Nathan’s credibility?”

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

An OpenAI spokesperson said the company is committed to teen safety, but called into question the nonprofit’s methodology and said the testing does not accurately reflect how ChatGPT for Teens is used in practice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Veraxa is shifting away from animal testing to get drugs to market faster, calling it ‘not just a regulatory obligation, but a scientific opportunity.’

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Most of these medications are only licensed for children or adolescents older than this, but some doctors prescribe them off-label, and drug companies are testing them in children as young as six.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

OpenAI said the report’s conclusions are based on flawed testing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

He rattled the stall door, testing the strength of the hinges.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

Related Words

• analysis
• approval
• assessment
• attempt
• check
• evaluation
• experiment
• final
• inquiry
• inspection
• investigation
• search
• standard
• trial