test case

American  

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.

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test case British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of test case

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

test case

Beijing played a central role in Zambia's debt restructuring negotiations, making the country a closely watched test case for how China works with Western governments and multilateral lenders to resolve sovereign debt crises.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

But the Dershowitz lawsuit may have been a less than ideal test case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Using melanoma drug resistance as a test case, the researchers showed that targeting these common control points could help overcome resistance across multiple genetic causes.

From Science Daily ● May 21, 2026

That complication is what makes them the perfect test case for AI “doctors” trained to read breast imagery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

The perfect test case, the perfect way to set precedent—not with someone who was malicious, not with a societal outlier.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• precedent