laboratory test

noun

variants or lab test

: a test conducted under controlled scientific conditions in a laboratory or similar setting

… in laboratory tests of acyclovir, herpes strains have mutated to forms resistant to the drug.

—Linda Garmon

We've measured the amount of soap in shampoos and used lab tests to determine cleaning action and pH.

—Consumer Reports

specifically, medical : a test (such as a blood test or urinalysis procedure) performed by a medical laboratory on a specimen taken from a patient

Even experienced doctors cannot distinguish "strep" throat from other-caused sore throats without a laboratory test of fluid taken from the throat.

—Melva Weber

Those two values are seen with a complete blood count, the lab test that enumerates the number of white and red blood cells.

—Paul G. Donahue

laboratory testing noun

or less commonly lab testing

… it has survived nearly two years of strenuous independent laboratory testing and been certified safe for home and commercial use.

—Harper's

Examples of laboratory test in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To unlock the full potential of PrEP, more federal funding is required to support healthcare provider education, community awareness and outreach, patient navigation, and out-of-pocket costs for PrEP clinical visits and laboratory tests. —James K. Glassman, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2025

Independent laboratory tests confirmed this argument and her appeal was successful, so her provisional suspension was not publicly disclosed until late November, when the ITIA concluded its investigation and awarded a one-month ban. —James Hansen, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

An autopsy did not reveal how the man died and the results from toxicology and other laboratory tests are pending, according to MNPD. —Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 9 Jan. 2024

There are no laboratory tests that diagnose spider veins, but imaging tests may be ordered if chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is suspected.2 With CVI, the leg veins become damaged and do not allow the blood to flow back to the heart. —Laura Schober, Health, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above