test case

noun

1. a typical case whose court decision may be interpreted as a precedent for application in future similar cases.
2. a legal action taken, sometimes deliberately by agreement of both parties, with a special view to determining the position of the law on some matter, as the constitutionality of a statute.

test case

noun

1. a legal action that serves as a precedent in deciding similar succeeding cases

Word History and Origins

Origin of test case¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Common pharmaceuticals such as aspirin and paracetamol, whose structures are already known, were used as simple test cases.

From Science Daily

Motorists who bought a car on finance could share in billions of pounds in compensation following a landmark test case.

From BBC

Then he zeroed in on the stadium’s parking lot, and another one nearby, as a test case to see how fast he could make the VA move.

From Los Angeles Times

And it offers a test case in a divided political time: Will her removal and the outcry that followed harden partisan alignments — or shake them?

From Salon

The Court of Appeal ruled the Why Not Bar in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion - which closed in March 2020 - is entitled to pay outs, alongside five other policy holders involved in the test case.

From BBC

Related Words

• precedent