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Meaning & use

sobriety test

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/səˈbraɪəti ˌtest/
US/səˈbraɪəti ˌtest/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A set of checks police use to judge whether a driver has drunk too much alcohol.

    Grammar: Countable: 'a sobriety test', 'two sobriety tests'. Often used with 'field' in US English.

    Patterns

    • take a sobriety test
    • pass a sobriety test
    • fail a sobriety test
    • administer a sobriety test

    The officer asked him to take a sobriety test by the side of the road.

    She passed the sobriety test and was allowed to drive home.

    Refusing a sobriety test can lead to serious legal problems in many places.

  2. nouncountabletechnical

    A medical or legal check of whether someone has alcohol in their body, sometimes using a breath or blood sample.

    Grammar: Also called a 'breath test' or 'chemical test' when a device or sample is used.

    Patterns

    • undergo a sobriety test
    • order a sobriety test
    • a sobriety test shows something

    The clinic ran a sobriety test before the operation.

    A sobriety test showed a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

    The court accepted the results of the sobriety test as evidence.

Word forms

pluralsobriety tests

Common combinations

field sobriety test
He walked in a straight line during the field sobriety test.
take a sobriety test
Drivers can be required to take a sobriety test.
fail a sobriety test
She failed the sobriety test and lost her license.
pass a sobriety test
He passed the sobriety test and drove away.
refuse a sobriety test
Refusing a sobriety test may bring a fine.

Synonyms and how they differ

breath test
A breath test uses a device to measure alcohol in your breath, while a sobriety test may also include walking and balance checks.
breathalyzer
This is a trademark name for the device itself, not the whole procedure.
DUI test
A DUI test is the legal term in US English for the checks used in a drunk-driving case.

Word family

sober adjective
Not affected by alcohol.
sobriety noun
The state of not being drunk or of not drinking alcohol.

Commonly confused: sobriety test or sobering? sobriety test or sobriety?

sobriety test vs sobering

'Sobering' means making you think seriously, as in 'a sobering report'; it is not related to this test.

sobriety test vs sobriety

'Sobriety' is the state of being sober; 'sobriety test' is the procedure that checks it.

Practice

A driver who is stopped by police is most likely asked to ______.

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