evaluate
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to carefully judge the quality, importance, or value of something.
to determine the significance, worth, or condition of something by careful appraisal and study. Transitive — requires a direct object.
Simple“The committee needs to evaluate all the job applications before making a final decision.”
In context“The researchers spent several months evaluating the long-term impact of the new policy on local businesses before publishing their findings.”
UsageOften used with adverbs like 'carefully', 'thoroughly', or 'objectively'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to find the numerical answer or result of a mathematical problem or computer command.
to calculate the numerical value of an expression or to execute a command to return a result. Can be used transitively for the action or intransitively for the result.
Simple“You need to evaluate the expression inside the brackets first.”
In context“The software is designed to evaluate complex algorithms in real-time, providing immediate feedback to the engineering team.”
UsageIn computing, an expression is said to 'evaluate to' a specific value.
Usage evaluate the evidence · evaluated using · critically evaluate
“It's about the ability to reason, evaluate evidence and make informed decisions in a complex, changing world.”
“Such systems can evaluate multiple inputs at once while making decisions informed by previous experiences and future priorities.”
Back-formation from evaluation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.