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  • test run
    test run
    noun
    an act of trying out a process, piece of equipment, program, etc., to see if it works properly.
  • test-run
    test-run
    verb (used with object)
    to try out (a process, pieces of equipment, etc.) to see if it works; do a test run on.
Synonyms

test run

1 American  
[test ruhn] / ˈtɛst ˌrʌn /

noun

  • test runs
    plural
  1. an act of trying out a process, piece of equipment, program, etc., to see if it works properly.


test-run 2 American  
[test ruhn] / ˈtɛst ˌrʌn /

verb (used with object)

test-ran, test-running
  1. to try out (a process, pieces of equipment, etc.) to see if it works; do a test run on.


verb (used without object)

test-ran, test-running
  1. to undergo a test run or perform in a specified way in a test run.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It is thought this was a test run for something significantly bigger.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The city itself said that electronic voting in the referendum would serve as a test run for the parliamentary vote scheduled for Sept. 18-20.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

But the day of the shoot — there was a biscuit rig on the car, and the gentleman working the biscuit rig did a test run and lost control of the car.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

In a test run that excluded magnetic fields entirely, the protostars moved farther apart instead of closer together.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026

If it works for someone as friendly as him, I might as well give it a test run.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

The test-run footage “is the work of a director with a vision,” says “Capturing Bigfoot” director Marq Evans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

The county used machines as the primary vote-counting method, with a hand-count happening alongside that, acting as essentially a test-run for future elections.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024

Mr. Mayorkas said officials have had a test-run of that policy since early January, when they announced a program to “parole” migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 18, 2023

But China has test-run a different technology that will be deployed at the Games: armpit thermometers that stick like Band-Aids and transmit the person’s temperature.

From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2021

A quick test-run showed that the antibody was also being regenerated.

From Star Surgeon by Alan Edward Nourse

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