evaluate
Americanverb (used with object)
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evaluates,
present (3rd person singular)
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evaluated,
past participle, past
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evaluating
present participle
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to determine or set the value or amount of; appraise.
to evaluate property.
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to judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality of; assess.
to evaluate the results of an experiment.
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Mathematics. to determine or calculate the numerical value of (a formula, function, relation, etc.).
verb
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to ascertain or set the amount or value of
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to judge or assess the worth of; appraise
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maths logic to determine the unique member of the range of a function corresponding to a given member of its domain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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evaluationnoun
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evaluatornoun
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misevaluateverb (used with object)
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reevaluateverb (used with object)
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evaluableadjective
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evaluativeadjective
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nonevaluativeadjective
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unevaluatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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evaluatesimple
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evaluatessimple
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have evaluatedperfect
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has evaluatedperfect
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am evaluatingprogressive
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are evaluatingprogressive
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is evaluatingprogressive
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have been evaluatingperfect progressive
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has been evaluatingperfect progressive
Past
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evaluatedsimple
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had evaluatedperfect
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was evaluatingprogressive
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were evaluatingprogressive
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had been evaluatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of evaluate
First recorded in 1835–45; back formation from evaluation
Explanation
When you evaluate something, you're making a judgment, one that most likely results from some degree of analysis. Breaking down the nutritional pros and cons of dessert options is evaluating. Diving into a tub of Ben and Jerry's because you have a craving is not. The word evaluate was used as a mathematics term before it became part of standard usage. Thus, its wonky connotation of objectivity.
Vocabulary lists containing evaluate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary of the Common Core
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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:
According to the researchers, this is the first time DNA metabarcoding has been used to evaluate diet in a population with IBD.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
Jamie Kohn, senior director for talent acquisition at research firm Gartner, reasons that competition-based hiring formats are here to stay because employers find it easier to evaluate candidates than via the traditional interview method.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
The company has not made any formal proposals, but in Kings and Tulare counties, the issue caught attention after fair officials agreed to allow Global Stack to evaluate their sites.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
“All feedback is being shared with our beverage team so they can continue to evaluate how this change is impacting customers who regularly enjoyed our Chai prior to the refreshed recipe,” Starbucks wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
“Finally, adoption agencies routinely send staff members to evaluate the child’s milieu, and no reasonable agency is going to send an agent to Afghanistan.”
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
It evaluates incoming signals, including information that may be incomplete or uncertain, combines them into a more useful overall representation, and then helps direct other brain regions toward an appropriate response.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Then on Tuesday, the AISI, the UK government agency which evaluates cutting-edge models, then said it had detected a "security incident" during a routine evaluation.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The company is also well-known for its viral short videos, in which its internet-famous sneaker-authenticator Rami Almordaah evaluates, buys, and sells rare sneakers that often cost thousands of dollars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
And with “In the Mouth of Madness,” he once again evaluates the price of making great art, but this time from a safer distance.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
First off, I don’t go through the line for anything, to avoid that vulnerable moment of coming out into the lunchroom, that moment when every head lifts and evaluates: friend, enemy, or loser.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
A study published online in August 2026 in Food and Chemical Toxicology evaluated commercial grade sucralose using several genetic toxicity tests in cells and animals.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Coach Sean McVay has said that Donald’s situation would be evaluated daily.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Two people familiar with the situation told the newspaper that the damage is currently being evaluated.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
A Welsh government report published in February highlighted the rapid increase in caesarean sections and inductions, saying the consequences for women, their families and the NHS had not been evaluated.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Riding on horseback from camp to camp, she evaluated the troops.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
The company’s majority owner, Belgian investment group D’Ieteren DIE -0.46%decrease; red down pointing triangle , said Wednesday that Belron shareholders are evaluating options regarding the minority shareholder stakes, but that no decision has been made.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Triage then focuses on determining how likely a patient is to develop kidney failure, as well as evaluating cardiovascular risk.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
If Paxton wins, an incomplete picture of his finances could prevent watchdogs from evaluating his conflicts of interest as a senator, Holman and others said.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
Prof Richard Bryan, co-author of the study and from Birmingham University, said after spending years developing and evaluating the science, it was exciting to see "very promising early performance" in a large real-world patient population.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Skills: Recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses, reflecting and analyzing themselves, awareness of their inner feelings, desires and dreams, evaluating their thinking patterns, reasoning with themselves, understanding their role in relationship to others.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
