(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
When you ~ 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.
The drug must first be ~ed in clinical trials to see if it works on other cancers.
VERB: V n
2.
A ~ is a deliberate action or experiment to find out how well something works.
...the banning of nuclear ~s.
N-COUNT
3.
If you ~ 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.
There was a time when each teacher spent an hour, one day a week, ~ing pupils in every subject...
She decided to ~ herself with a training run in London.
VERB: V n, V pron-refl
4.
A ~ 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 ~...
She had sold her bike, taken a driving ~ and bought a car.
N-COUNT
5.
If you ~ someone, you deliberately make things difficult for them in order to see how they react.
She may be ~ing her mother to see how much she can take before she throws her out.
VERB: V n
6.
If an event or situation is a ~ of a person or thing, it reveals their qualities or effectiveness.
It is a commonplace fact that holidays are a major ~ of any relationship...
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n
7.
If you are ~ed 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.
My doctor wants me to be ~ed for diabetes...
Girls in an affected family can also be ~ed to see if they carry the defective gene.
VERB: usu passive, be V-ed for n, be V-ed
8.
A medical ~ 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 ~s will also be used to aid diagnosis...
N-COUNT
9.
A ~ is a sports match between two international teams, usually in cricket, rugby union, or rugby league. (BRIT)
N-COUNT
10.
see also ~ing , acid ~ , breath ~ , means ~ , litmus ~ , ~ match
11.
If you put something to the ~, you find out how useful or effective it is by using it.
The Liverpool team are now putting their theory to the ~...
PHRASE: V inflects
12.
If new circumstances or events put something to the ~, they put a strain on it and indicate how strong or stable it really is.
Sooner or later, life will put the relationship to the ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
13.
If you say that something will stand the ~ 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 ~ of time.
PHRASE: V inflects
14.
to ~ the waters: see water