diff --git a/libraries/kotlin.test/common/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/Assertions.kt b/libraries/kotlin.test/common/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/Assertions.kt
index 4a6f511bee4..33cf18b0248 100644
--- a/libraries/kotlin.test/common/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/Assertions.kt
+++ b/libraries/kotlin.test/common/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/Assertions.kt
@@ -99,13 +99,21 @@ fun <@OnlyInputTypes T> expect(expected: T, message: String?, block: () -> T) {
     assertEquals(expected, block(), message)
 }
 
-/** Asserts that given function [block] fails by throwing an exception. */
+/**
+ * Asserts that given function [block] fails by throwing an exception.
+ *
+ * @return An exception that was expected to be thrown and was successfully caught.
+ * The returned exception can be inspected further, for example by asserting its property values.
+ */
 fun assertFails(block: () -> Unit): Throwable = assertFails(null, block)
 
 /**
  * Asserts that given function [block] fails by throwing an exception.
  *
  * If the assertion fails, the specified [message] is used unless it is null as a prefix for the failure message.
+ *
+ * @return An exception that was expected to be thrown and was successfully caught.
+ * The returned exception can be inspected further, for example by asserting its property values.
  */
 @SinceKotlin("1.1")
 fun assertFails(message: String?, block: () -> Unit): Throwable {
@@ -121,12 +129,20 @@ fun assertFails(message: String?, block: () -> Unit): Throwable {
 /** Asserts that a [block] fails with a specific exception of type [T] being thrown.
  *
  * If the assertion fails, the specified [message] is used unless it is null as a prefix for the failure message.
+ *
+ * @return An exception of the expected exception type [T] that successfully caught.
+ * The returned exception can be inspected further, for example by asserting its property values.
  */
 @InlineOnly
 inline fun <reified T : Throwable> assertFailsWith(message: String? = null, noinline block: () -> Unit): T =
     assertFailsWith(T::class, message, block)
 
-/** Asserts that a [block] fails with a specific exception of type [exceptionClass] being thrown. */
+/**
+ * Asserts that a [block] fails with a specific exception of type [exceptionClass] being thrown.
+ *
+ * @return An exception of the expected exception type [T] that successfully caught.
+ * The returned exception can be inspected further, for example by asserting its property values.
+ */
 fun <T : Throwable> assertFailsWith(exceptionClass: KClass<T>, block: () -> Unit): T = assertFailsWith(exceptionClass, null, block)
 
 
diff --git a/libraries/kotlin.test/common/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/AssertionsH.kt b/libraries/kotlin.test/common/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/AssertionsH.kt
index 9b4b724e1a6..3a28e9aeaa3 100644
--- a/libraries/kotlin.test/common/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/AssertionsH.kt
+++ b/libraries/kotlin.test/common/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/AssertionsH.kt
@@ -17,5 +17,8 @@ expect fun todo(block: () -> Unit)
  * Asserts that a [block] fails with a specific exception of type [exceptionClass] being thrown.
  *
  * If the assertion fails, the specified [message] is used unless it is null as a prefix for the failure message.
+ *
+ * @return An exception of the expected exception type [T] that successfully caught.
+ * The returned exception can be inspected further, for example by asserting its property values.
  */
 expect fun <T : Throwable> assertFailsWith(exceptionClass: KClass<T>, message: String?, block: () -> Unit): T
diff --git a/libraries/kotlin.test/js/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/JsImpl.kt b/libraries/kotlin.test/js/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/JsImpl.kt
index ef12a0beeec..03fdbaf65ed 100644
--- a/libraries/kotlin.test/js/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/JsImpl.kt
+++ b/libraries/kotlin.test/js/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/test/JsImpl.kt
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ actual fun todo(block: () -> Unit) {
  * Asserts that a [block] fails with a specific exception of type [exceptionClass] being thrown.
  *
  * If the assertion fails, the specified [message] is used unless it is null as a prefix for the failure message.
+ *
+ * @return An exception of the expected exception type [T] that successfully caught.
+ * The returned exception can be inspected further, for example by asserting its property values.
  */
 actual fun <T : Throwable> assertFailsWith(exceptionClass: KClass<T>, message: String?, block: () -> Unit): T {
     val exception = assertFails(message, block)
diff --git a/libraries/kotlin.test/jvm/src/main/kotlin/AssertionsImpl.kt b/libraries/kotlin.test/jvm/src/main/kotlin/AssertionsImpl.kt
index e673343d767..684fbfbaf28 100644
--- a/libraries/kotlin.test/jvm/src/main/kotlin/AssertionsImpl.kt
+++ b/libraries/kotlin.test/jvm/src/main/kotlin/AssertionsImpl.kt
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ private fun <T : Throwable> assertFailsWithImpl(exceptionClass: Class<T>, messag
  * Asserts that a [block] fails with a specific exception of type [exceptionClass] being thrown.
  *
  * If the assertion fails, the specified [message] is used unless it is null as a prefix for the failure message.
+ *
+ * @return An exception of the expected exception type [T] that successfully caught.
+ * The returned exception can be inspected further, for example by asserting its property values.
  */
 actual fun <T : Throwable> assertFailsWith(exceptionClass: KClass<T>, message: String?, block: () -> Unit): T =
     assertFailsWithImpl(exceptionClass.java, message, block)