Test the waters means taking a small trial step to see how people react or whether something could work, before making a big commitment. One free workshop before a full course, a short survey before opening a market. The image is dipping a foot in the water before diving in. The singular works too: test the water.
When would you say test the waters?
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test the waters / test the water; test the waters with + small trial; test the waters before + -ing
- We tested the waters with one evening workshop before planning a full course.
- The club sent out a short survey to test the water.
- She wants to test the waters before proposing a regular Sunday market.
What changed
First versionWe checked the waters with a small trial event.
RevisionWe tested the waters with a small trial event.
Check is the everyday verb for making sure of something, so checked the waters can seem fine. But the verb in this idiom is fixed: test the waters, like trying the water with your foot before you dive in. Check was replaced with test.
Take the plunge means finally diving in, making the big move after hesitating: We finally took the plunge and opened the café. Test the waters is the step before that, a trial. The acid test is the decisive check, after which everything is clear.
Your turn
To gauge interest before making a commitment, we should ___ the waters.
Show the answer
test — The idiom is test the waters. Check is close in meaning, but it isn't used in this expression.
Suggest a small trial step before a big plan: a new club, a business or a move.
We could test the waters with one free drawing session to see how many neighbours are interested.
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