tester
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a person who checks if something works correctly or follows the rules.
an individual responsible for administering a test or evaluating the performance and quality of a product or system.
Simple“The software tester found three bugs in the new mobile app.”
In context“The quality assurance tester meticulously documented every system failure to ensure the software met the client's rigorous security standards.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a tool or machine used to check if something is working or safe.
a mechanical or electronic device designed to perform diagnostic checks or verify the integrity of a component.
Simple“He used a battery tester to see if the remote needed new ones.”
In context“The technician connected the voltage tester to the circuit board to identify where the electrical current was being interrupted.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
a small amount of a product, like perfume or paint, that you can try before buying.
a specimen of a retail product provided to consumers for trial or evaluation prior to purchase.
Simple“She sprayed a little perfume from the tester onto her wrist.”
In context“The hardware store sells small paint testers so customers can observe how the colour looks under different lighting conditions at home.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
a wooden or cloth cover that hangs over a bed.
a canopy over a bed, supported by the bedposts or hanging from the ceiling.
Simple“The old castle bedroom featured a grand bed with a velvet tester.”
In context“The antique four-poster bed was crowned with an ornate oak tester, carved with the family's heraldic symbols in the seventeenth century.”
Synonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
an old British coin worth six pence.
a historical British coin with the value of sixpence.
Simple“The old man remembered when a tester could buy a whole bag of sweets.”
In context“In the Victorian era, a common thief might risk imprisonment for the sake of a few testers lifted from a gentleman's pocket.”
Synonymssixpence
From Middle English tester, from Old French testre, from Latin testura.
From Middle English tester, equivalent to test + -er.
For testern, teston, from French teston, from Old French teste (“the head, the head of the king being impressed upon the coin”). See tester (“a covering”), and compare testone, testoon.
Inherited from Middle English tester; see testiere.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.