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Synonyms

exam

1 American  
[ig-zam] / ɪgˈzæm /

noun

Informal.

  1. an examination, as in school.

exam. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. examination.

  2. examined.

  3. examinee.

  4. examiner.

exam British  
/ ɪɡˈzæm /

noun

  1. short for examination

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of exam

First recorded in 1875–80; short form

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Cap bearing the badge of the Indian Police Service, the highest-trained level of police officers who must pass the Indian civil service exam.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Cap bearing the badge of the Indian Police Service, the highest-trained level of police officers who must pass the Indian civil service exam.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Two decades later, I sat in an exam room with a new gynecologist, answering routine questions: Age of first period.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

She applied for a working holiday visa in 2023 and paid for the required medical exam with an approved doctor in the UK.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

And then he risked it: “Do you have news about the exam, sir?”

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.