experiment
Americannoun
-
experiments
plural
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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)
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experiments,
present (3rd person singular)
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experimented,
past participle, past
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experimenting
present participle
noun
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a test or investigation, esp one planned to provide evidence for or against a hypothesis: a scientific experiment
-
the act of conducting such an investigation or test; experimentation; research
-
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.
-
See Note at hypothesis
Synonym Usage
See trial.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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experimentatornoun
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experimenternoun
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experimentornoun
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preexperimentnoun
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reexperimentverb (used without object)
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proexperimentadjective
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unexperimentedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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experimentsimple
-
experimentssimple
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have experimentedperfect
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has experimentedperfect
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am experimentingprogressive
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are experimentingprogressive
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is experimentingprogressive
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have been experimentingperfect progressive
-
has been experimentingperfect progressive
Past
-
experimentedsimple
-
had experimentedperfect
-
was experimentingprogressive
-
were experimentingprogressive
-
had been experimentingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
She had a lot more free rein to experiment with different sales models, without a need for a centralized directive or a one-size-fits all solution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
“And this crazy experiment of Banana Ball has gone some places we never imagined.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
To investigate, the Yale team conducted an experiment in which participants took a pill containing either hydrocortisone, a form of cortisol, or an inactive placebo.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Embracing audiobooks might also give YouTube’s massive creator network a new format to experiment with and cross-promote directly to viewers on the platform where many of them are strongest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Surprisingly, Tamika didn’t talk about her science fair experiment.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Broadcasters have ramped up experiments with format, style and tone - Disney+ even had a dog on set during their coverage - but perhaps unsurprisingly, not every idea proves to be successful.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The buried plastic films remained in the forest soil for a full year, allowing the team to compare decomposition under natural conditions with the carefully monitored laboratory experiments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Fielder, whose series “Nathan for You” and “The Rehearsal” put real people through elaborate, often uncomfortable experiments, began to wonder whether the tables had been turned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
To investigate the role of DEAF1, the researchers performed experiments using fruit flies and older mice.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
“I wonder what kinds of experiments they really do at Mirror Tech. They probably don’t share everything on the tour.”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
And McDonald’s has experimented with this vision before.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
The team also experimented with a simpler approach that involved burning birch bark near a solid surface, such as a stone.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
This focused exhibition brings together a selection of Jack Whitten’s work from the 1980s, a particularly energized period in his 60-year career when he experimented with form, material and meaning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Pioneer bought additional tooling and experimented with changes in temperature and curing times to better understand and fix the problem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
They experimented with one expression and then another, said nothing, though their mouths were often open.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Together, these discoveries reveal that long before modern mammals became dominant, their ancient relatives were already experimenting with an impressive range of ways to survive.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
I went into the recipe expecting exactly that, was delighted to find it delivered and started experimenting with the same trick in soups of my own.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
As early as the 19th century, vintners began experimenting with dealcoholized wine using a process known as vacuum distillation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
In lieu of all that iterative work, companies are experimenting with new ways to build muscle memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
I’d done some more experimenting with cake flavors since then, but this recipe felt right for today, since it reminded me of the summer I first started writing to Marcus.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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