test case

noun

1

: a representative case whose outcome is likely to serve as a precedent

2

: a proceeding brought by agreement or on an understanding of the parties to obtain a decision as to the constitutionality of a statute

Examples of test case in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And none of them leads a nation like Argentina, a resource-rich regional power plagued by decades of political mismanagement and economic instability, which has now become a test case for the governing theories of a radical ideologue. —Vera Bergengruen/buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024

And Zaza Waza, just across Columbus Avenue from her district office, presented the perfect test case. —Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

test case

see case sense 1a