test case — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A legal action intended to set a precedent.

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   Although these decisions imply acceptance of gay and lesbian parenting, most of the second-parent adoption cases have been brought following "test-case" criteria that maximize the likelihood of judicial acceptance. The couples usually have had long-term monogamous relationships; they are economically stable; there is often direct economic benefit to the child of granting the adoption […] Also, in these cases there is no heterosexual parent or family member challenging custody, so the child will be raised in a lesbian or gay home regardless of the judge's decision.

   Getting iced out by the tech giants turned Parler into a cause célèbre for conservatives who complained they were being censored, as well as a test case for the openness of the internet.

2. Any of a set of conditions and variables used to test an application.

Noun

1. a representative legal action whose outcome is likely to become a precedent

   Synonyms

   test suit

   Broader terms

   legal actionactionaction at law