test

[[t]te̱st[/t]]

♦

tests, testing, tested

1) VERB When you test something, you try it, for example by touching it or using it for a short time, in order to find out what it is, what condition it is in, or how well it works.

[V n] Either measure the temperature with a bath thermometer or test the water with your wrist...

[V n] Here the army has its ranges where Rapier missiles and other weaponry are tested...

[V n] The drug must first be tested in clinical trials to see if it works on other cancers.

2) N-COUNT A test is a deliberate action or experiment to find out how well something works.

...the banning of nuclear tests.

3) VERB If you test someone, you ask them questions or tell them to perform certain actions in order to find out how much they know about a subject or how well they are able to do something.

[V n] There was a time when each teacher spent an hour, one day a week, testing pupils in every subject...

[V pron-refl] She decided to test herself with a training run in London.

4) N-COUNT A test is a series of questions that you must answer or actions that you must perform in order to show how much you know about a subject or how well you are able to do something.

Out of a total of 2,602 pupils only 922 passed the test...

She had sold her bike, taken a driving test and bought a car.

5) VERB If you test someone, you deliberately make things difficult for them in order to see how they react.

[V n] From the first day, Rudolf was testing me, seeing if I would make him tea, bring him a Coke.

6) N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n If an event or situation is a test of a person or thing, it reveals their qualities or effectiveness.

It is a commonplace fact that holidays are a major test of any relationship...

The test of any civilised society is how it treats its minorities.

7) VERB: usu passive If you are tested for a particular disease or medical condition, you are examined or go through various procedures in order to find out whether you have that disease or condition.

[be V-ed for n] My doctor wants me to be tested for diabetes...

[be V-ed] Girls in an affected family can also be tested to see if they carry the defective gene.

8) N-COUNT A medical test is an examination of a part of your body in order to check that you are healthy or to find out what is wrong with you.

If necessary X-rays and blood tests will also be used to aid diagnosis...

The family doctor ordered numerous, expensive medical tests, which revealed no physical problem.

9) N-COUNT A test is a sports match between two international teams, usually in cricket, rugby union, or rugby league. [BRIT]

10) → See also , acid test, , means test, , test match

11) PHRASE: V inflects If you put something to the test, you find out how useful or effective it is by using it.

The Liverpool team are now putting their theory to the test...

Arriving at the railway station, I put local knowledge to the test and ask a taxi driver.

12) PHRASE: V inflects If new circumstances or events put something to the test, they put strain on it and indicate how strong or stable it really is.

Sooner or later, life will put the relationship to the test - and it's those relationships with the strongest foundations that weather the course.

13) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that something will stand the test of time, you mean that it is strong or effective enough to last for a very long time.

It says a lot for her culinary skills that so many of her recipes have stood the test of time.

14) to test the waters → see water