test case

noun

1. a typical case whose court decision may be interpreted as a precedent for application in future similar cases.

2. a legal action taken, sometimes deliberately by agreement of both parties, with a special view to determining the position of the law on some matter, as the constitutionality of a statute.

test case

noun

1. a legal action that serves as a precedent in deciding similar succeeding cases

Word History and Origins

Origin of test case¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

But until there is a test case, it's not exactly clear what the rules do and do not cover.

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Now, antimony is emerging as an important test case of whether the U.S. can restore supply chains devastated by decades of Chinese dominance.

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They are now left with 48 representatives on the council, which is seen by the party as a test case of its ability to govern.

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“I see this Nvidia approval as a test case,” says Simon Henderson, director of Gulf and energy policy at the Washington Institute.

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KCC is widely seen as a test case of Reform UK's ability to govern as the largest local authority in England.

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Related Words

• precedent