test and trace

noun

A means of combating coronavirus by taking samples from individuals and instructing those who are infected to isolate themselves from others and provide details of their recent close contacts, who are also told to isolate.

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Meanings

nountest and trace (uncountable)
  1. neologismuncountableA means of combating coronavirus by taking samples from individuals and instructing those who are infected to isolate themselves from others and provide details of their recent close contacts, who are also told to isolate.

    This is the world of “test and trace.” In the past month [i.e., since early March 2020], the coronavirus pandemic has necessitated a deep freeze of US activity.

    2020, Meredith Celene Schwartz, The Ethics of Pandemics, page 104
    1 more example

    However, contracts to run certain other elements of test and trace services in England, including contact tracing for non-complex cases, were awarded to private companies with little experience in the area.

    2021, Scott L. Greer, Elizabeth King, Elize Massard da Fonseca, Coronavirus Politics
Cite this entry
APA

test and trace. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/test%20and%20trace

MLA

“test and trace.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/test%20and%20trace. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “test and trace,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/test%20and%20trace.

Source: test and trace on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.