experiment
Americannoun
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a test, trial, or tentative procedure; an act or operation for the purpose of discovering something unknown or of testing a principle, supposition, etc..
a chemical experiment; a teaching experiment; an experiment in living.
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the conducting of such operations; experimentation.
a product that is the result of long experiment.
- Synonyms:
- investigation, research
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Obsolete. experience.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a test or investigation, esp one planned to provide evidence for or against a hypothesis: a scientific experiment
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the act of conducting such an investigation or test; experimentation; research
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an attempt at something new or different; an effort to be original
a poetic experiment
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an obsolete word for experience
verb
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A test or procedure carried out under controlled conditions to determine the validity of a hypothesis or make a discovery.
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See Note at hypothesis
Synonym Usage
See trial.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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experimentatornoun
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experimentornoun
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proexperimentadjective
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reexperimentverb (used without object)
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experimenternoun
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unexperimentedadjective
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preexperimentnoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has experimentedperfect 3rd person singular
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have experimentedperfect
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am experimentingprogressive 1st person singular
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are experimentingprogressive
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have been experimentingperfect progressive
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is experimentingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been experimentingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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experimentingparticiple
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experimentssingular 3rd person
Past
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had experimentedperfect
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had been experimentingperfect progressive
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were experimentingprogressive plural
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was experimentingprogressive singular
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experimentedsimple
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experimentedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of experiment
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English: “proof,” from Latin experīmentum “test, trial,” from experī(rī) “to test, try” ( see experience) + -mentum -ment
Explanation
If you see your science-loving neighbor headed home with a power cord, a handful of test tubes, a stopwatch, and a bag of potatoes, there’s probably no need to be alarmed. There’s a good chance he’s only conducting an experiment, a scientific test conducted under controlled conditions. To refer to a scientific test, use the noun experiment. If you want to describe the work done in conducting such a test, experiment will do the trick as well, since it can also act as a verb, as in "scientists experiment with helium." You can also use it more generally to describe trying a new method or idea. For example, you could experiment with a new hairstyle or different routes to get to school or work.
Vocabulary lists containing experiment
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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The Scientific Method
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When comic creator Garth Ennis first conceived “The Boys” in 2004, blending the cult of celebrity with the high stakes of politics seemed merely like a dark thought experiment.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
At the end of the experiment, they examined plaque buildup in the animals' arteries.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Each experiment required a similar amount of time before meaningful conclusions could be drawn and the next stage of research could begin.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
Guardiola repeated the experiment weeks later in the Champions League final against Manchester United.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
“So, what experiment are you working on this time?”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
