# tester

/ˈtɛstɝ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tester
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. a person who tests

noun · CEFR B1

a person who checks if something works correctly or follows the rules.

For teachers: an individual responsible for administering a test or evaluating the performance and quality of a product or system.

- The software tester found three bugs in the new mobile app.
- The quality assurance tester meticulously documented every system failure to ensure the software met the client's rigorous security standards.

### 2. a testing device

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a tool or machine used to check if something is working or safe.

For teachers: a mechanical or electronic device designed to perform diagnostic checks or verify the integrity of a component.

- He used a battery tester to see if the remote needed new ones.
- The technician connected the voltage tester to the circuit board to identify where the electrical current was being interrupted.

### 3. a product sample

noun · CEFR B1

a small amount of a product, like perfume or paint, that you can try before buying.

For teachers: a specimen of a retail product provided to consumers for trial or evaluation prior to purchase.

- She sprayed a little perfume from the tester onto her wrist.
- The hardware store sells small paint testers so customers can observe how the colour looks under different lighting conditions at home.

### 4. a bed canopy

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

a wooden or cloth cover that hangs over a bed.

For teachers: a canopy over a bed, supported by the bedposts or hanging from the ceiling.

- The old castle bedroom featured a grand bed with a velvet tester.
- The antique four-poster bed was crowned with an ornate oak tester, carved with the family's heraldic symbols in the seventeenth century.

### 5. a sixpence coin

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Archaic · Slang

an old British coin worth six pence.

For teachers: a historical British coin with the value of sixpence.

- The old man remembered when a tester could buy a whole bag of sweets.
- In the Victorian era, a common thief might risk imprisonment for the sake of a few testers lifted from a gentleman's pocket.

## Examples

- I used a perfume tester at the store today.
- The cosmetics counter provides a tester for every lipstick shade so customers can check the color against their skin tone.
- Before the official launch, the lead software tester identified several critical bugs that would have compromised user data security during high-traffic periods.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.