TEST

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does test mean? 

• TEST (noun)
  The noun TEST has 6 senses:

1. trying something to find out about it

2. any standardized procedure for measuring sensitivity or memory or intelligence or aptitude or personality etc

3. a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge

4. the act of undergoing testing

5. the act of testing something

6. a hard outer covering as of some amoebas and sea urchins

  Familiarity information: TEST used as a noun is common.

• TEST (verb)
  The verb TEST has 7 senses:

1. put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to

2. test or examine for the presence of disease or infection

3. examine someone's knowledge of something

4. show a certain characteristic when tested

5. achieve a certain score or rating on a test

6. determine the presence or properties of (a substance)

7. undergo a test

  Familiarity information: TEST used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TEST (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Trying something to find out about it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

test; trial; trial run; tryout

Context example:

a trial of progesterone failed to relieve the pain

Hypernyms ("test" is a kind of...):

experiment; experimentation (the testing of an idea)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "test"):

road test (a test to insure that a vehicle is roadworthy)

trial balloon (a test of public opinion)

alpha test ((computer science) a first test of an experimental product (such as computer software) carried out by the developer)

field test; field trial (a test of the performance of some new product under the conditions in which it will be used)

beta test ((computer science) a second test of an experimental product (such as computer software) carried out by an outside organization)

Derivation:

test (put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any standardized procedure for measuring sensitivity or memory or intelligence or aptitude or personality etc

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

mental test; mental testing; psychometric test; test

Context example:

the test was standardized on a large sample of students

Hypernyms ("test" is a kind of...):

mental measurement (a generic term used to cover any application of measurement techniques to the quantification of mental functions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "test"):

intelligence test; IQ test (a psychometric test of intelligence)

personality test (any test that is intended to assess personality)

sub-test (one of a battery of related tests)

Derivation:

test (undergo a test)

test (examine someone's knowledge of something)

test (achieve a certain score or rating on a test)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

exam; examination; test

Context example:

when the test was stolen the professor had to make a new set of questions

Hypernyms ("test" is a kind of...):

communicating; communication (the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "test"):

midterm; midterm exam; midterm examination (an examination administered in the middle of an academic term)

tripos (final honors degree examinations at Cambridge University)

exam paper; examination paper; question sheet; test paper (a written examination)

quiz (an examination consisting of a few short questions)

prelim; preliminary exam; preliminary examination (an examination taken by graduate students to determine their fitness to continue)

oral; oral exam; oral examination; viva; viva voce (an examination conducted by spoken communication)

litmus test (a test that relies on a single indicator)

final; final exam; final examination (an examination administered at the end of an academic term)

entrance exam; entrance examination (examination to determine a candidate's preparation for a course of studies)

comp; comprehensive; comprehensive examination (an intensive examination testing a student's proficiency in some special field of knowledge)

bar exam; bar examination (an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction)

Derivation:

test (undergo a test)

test (examine someone's knowledge of something)

test (achieve a certain score or rating on a test)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The act of undergoing testing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

test; trial

Context example:

candidates must compete in a trial of skill

Hypernyms ("test" is a kind of...):

attempt; effort; endeavor; endeavour; try (earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something)

Derivation:

test (undergo a test)

test (examine someone's knowledge of something)

test (achieve a certain score or rating on a test)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The act of testing something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

run; test; trial

Context example:

he called each flip of the coin a new trial

Hypernyms ("test" is a kind of...):

attempt; effort; endeavor; endeavour; try (earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "test"):

clinical test; clinical trial (a rigorously controlled test of a new drug or a new invasive medical device on human subjects; in the United States it is conducted under the direction of the FDA before being made available for general clinical use)

double blind (a test procedure in which the identity of those receiving the intervention is concealed from both the administrators and the subjects until after the test is completed; designed to reduce or eliminate bias in the results)

preclinical phase; preclinical test; preclinical trial (a laboratory test of a new drug or a new invasive medical device on animal subjects; conducted to gather evidence justifying a clinical trial)

audition; tryout (a test of the suitability of a performer)

field trial (a test of young hunting dogs to determine their skill in pointing and retrieving)

fitting; try-on; trying on (putting clothes on to see whether they fit)

Ministry of Transportation test; MOT; MOT test (a compulsory annual test of older motor vehicles for safety and exhaust fumes)

pilot program; pilot project (activity planned as a test or trial)

Snellen test (a test of visual acuity using a Snellen chart)

assay (a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially an ore or a drug) to determine its components; frequently used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious agents or antibodies etc.)

Derivation:

test (show a certain characteristic when tested)

test (determine the presence or properties of (a substance))

Sense 6

Meaning:

A hard outer covering as of some amoebas and sea urchins

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("test" is a kind of...):

cover; covering; natural covering (a natural object that covers or envelops)

• TEST (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

essay; examine; prove; test; try; try out

Context example:

Test this recipe

Hypernyms (to "test" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "test"):

control; verify (check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard)

float (circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with)

field-test (test something under the conditions under which it will actually be used)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

test (trying something to find out about it)

testing (the act of subjecting to experimental test in order to determine how well something works)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Test or examine for the presence of disease or infection

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

screen; test

Context example:

screen the blood for the HIV virus

Hypernyms (to "test" is one way to...):

check (make an examination or investigation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Examine someone's knowledge of something

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

quiz; test

Context example:

We got quizzed on French irregular verbs

Hypernyms (to "test" is one way to...):

examine (question closely)

Verb group:

test (undergo a test)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP

Derivation:

test (the act of undergoing testing)

test (any standardized procedure for measuring sensitivity or memory or intelligence or aptitude or personality etc)

test (a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge)

testee (someone who is tested (as by an intelligence test or an academic examination))

tester (someone who administers a test to determine your qualifications)

testing (the act of giving students or candidates a test (as by questions) to determine what they know or have learned)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Show a certain characteristic when tested

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

He tested positive for HIV

Hypernyms (to "test" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s Adjective

Derivation:

test (the act of testing something)

testing (an examination of the characteristics of something)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Achieve a certain score or rating on a test

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Context example:

She tested high on the LSAT and was admitted to all the good law schools

Hypernyms (to "test" is one way to...):

score (get a certain number or letter indicating quality or performance)

Verb group:

test (undergo a test)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s Adjective

Derivation:

test (the act of undergoing testing)

test (any standardized procedure for measuring sensitivity or memory or intelligence or aptitude or personality etc)

test (a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Determine the presence or properties of (a substance)

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "test" is one way to...):

ascertain; check; determine; find out; learn; see; watch (find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

test (the act of testing something)

testing (an examination of the characteristics of something)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Undergo a test

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

She doesn't test well

Hypernyms (to "test" is one way to...):

submit; take (accept or undergo, often unwillingly)

Verb group:

quiz; test (examine someone's knowledge of something)

test (achieve a certain score or rating on a test)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s Adjective

Derivation:

testee (someone who is tested (as by an intelligence test or an academic examination))

test (a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge)

test (the act of undergoing testing)

test (any standardized procedure for measuring sensitivity or memory or intelligence or aptitude or personality etc)

 Context examples 

Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Auditory Verbal Learning Test Version A (ADNI-AVLT Version A) The number of words correct on recognition test.

(ADNI AVLT - List A Recognition Total, NCI Thesaurus)

You won’t mind my testing you, will you?

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Lab tests can confirm that you have Addison disease.

(Addison Disease, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Auditory Verbal Learning Test Version A - The number of words correct on recognition test.

(ADNI AVLT - List A Recognition Total, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

“I want to test a little theory of mine,” said he, pulling on his boots.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A hearing test can check to see how it has affected your hearing.

(Meniere's Disease, NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)

Screening tests can find diseases early, when they are easier to treat.

(Men's Health, NIH)

Can we make it work? Can we trust our lives to it? is the test.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Tests that produce pictures of areas inside the body.

(Medical Imaging, NCI Dictionary)

Tests that examine the blood and bone marrow diagnose AML.

(Acute Myeloid Leukemia, NIH: National Cancer Institute)