test-drove ˈtes(t)-ˌdrōv How to pronounce test-drive (audio) ; test-driven ˈtes(t)-ˌdri-vən How to pronounce test-drive (audio) ; test-driving ˈtes(t)-ˌdrī-viŋ How to pronounce test-drive (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to drive (a motor vehicle) in order to evaluate performance
2
: to use or examine (something, such as a computer program) in order to evaluate performance
test-drive the new game
test-drive noun

Examples of test-drive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Too many folks wait until springtime to test-drive their new scopes. Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 2 Feb. 2025 And then, finally and most fatefully, driving off the morning after that event for a weekend test-drive of a new strain of acid at Richards’s country home, which would result in a famous drug raid that nearly put both Richards and Jagger into prison, and forever change her image in Britain. Bill Wyman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025 During the past year, jurors spent hundreds of hours test-driving, researching, and evaluating vehicles on criteria including automotive innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction, user experience, and value. Michael Harley, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025 Beyond hearing aids, the company is letting CES attendees test-drive its next-gen AI-enhance hearing aids at CES, dubbed ELEHEAR Beyond Pro, available later in 2025. Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for test-drive 

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of test-drive was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near test-drive

Cite this Entry

“Test-drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/test-drive. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.

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