What does tester mean?
Tester is a flexible noun that most commonly refers to a person whose job is to test software, products, vehicles, or other subjects. It can also name an instrument used for testing, such as a voltage or tire tester. A less common but established sense is a small sample of a product given to prospective users to try. For example, a tester may try a new food or cosmetic before it is sold widely. The term is generally neutral, although in software development a tester is often contrasted with a designer or developer, and “quality assurance specialist” may be the more formal job title. Compared with test, tester shifts attention from the experiment or procedure to the person, instrument, or sample performing it. The word is consequently useful whenever responsibility, equipment, or trial experience is the focus.
nounA tester is a person who tests products, software, or other subjects, or a device designed for testing. In some contexts, especially product promotion, it also means a small sample supplied for trial.
- A person whose occupation or role is to test products, software, vehicles, or other subjects.
- A device or instrument designed to test a particular property or system.
- A small sample of a product supplied for trial, especially during a product launch.
"The tester ran through a long checklist before signing off on the software release."
"The tester identified a minor defect during the final inspection."
"She included a tester of the new moisturizer in the promotional package."
The regular plural refers to multiple testing people, devices, or samples.
"The software testers reported the defects to the development team."
In a product launch, a “tester” may be the free sample itself—not the person trying it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tester come from?
Tester is an English agent noun formed by adding the suffix -er to test. The word test reached Middle English through Old French test, ultimately from Latin testum, meaning an earthenware vessel; its testing sense developed through the idea of trying, examining, or assaying something. Related English words such as contest, protest, and testimony belong to the Latin test- family associated with bearing witness.
Related word forms
How tester is actually used
The term is neutral and common in technical, industrial, and consumer contexts. In hiring language, “tester” can sound less formal than a quality-assurance specialist; elsewhere, the intended sense depends on whether a person, instrument, or sample is meant.
Easily confused with tester
A tester evaluates or examines something, whereas a taster samples food or drink primarily to judge its flavor.
A test is the procedure or examination itself, while a tester is the person, instrument, or sample involved in it.