experiment

[ noun ik-sper-uh-muhnt; verb ek-sper-uh-ment ]

/ noun ɪkˈspɛr ə mənt; verb ɛkˈspɛr əˌmɛnt /

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noun

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.

the conducting of such operations; experimentation: a product that is the result of long experiment.

Obsolete. experience.

verb (used without object)

to try or test, especially in order to discover or prove something: to experiment with a new procedure.

Nearby words

experience table, experienced, experiencer, experiential, experientialism, experiment, experiment station, experimental, experimental condition, experimental group, experimental medicine

Origin of experiment

1325–75; Middle English: proof < Latin experīmentum. See experience, -ment

SYNONYMS FOR experiment

2 research, investigation.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR experiment ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ex·per·i·ment·er, ex·per·i·men·tor, ex·per·i·men·ta·tor, nounpre·ex·per·i·ment, nounpro·ex·per·i·ment, adjectivere·ex·per·i·ment, verb (used without object), noun

un·ex·per·i·ment·ed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See trial.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for experiment

This video, courtesy of BuzzFeed, tries a bit of an experiment to get some answers.
The Bottled Water Taste Test|The Daily Beast Video|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the fall of 1992, Booker became a vegetarian “as an experiment,” he said, “and I was surprised by how much my body took to it.”
Talking Tofurky With Newly Vegan Cory Booker|Vlad Chituc|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Japanese whisky is not regulated in Japan or in the U.S., so producers have the freedom to experiment with flavors and techniques.
Watch Out, Scotland! Japanese Whisky Is on the Rise|Kayleigh Kulp|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their experiment is known as the Holometer, located at Fermilab in Illinois.
Is the Cosmos Just a Big Hologram?|Matthew R. Francis|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At the end of our experiment, my friend and I both felt a little more in touch with our world and ourselves.
Aubrey Plaza’s Great Disconnect|Aubrey Plaza|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An experimental science may become deductive by the mere progress of experiment.
Analysis of Mr. Mill's System of Logic|William Stebbing
More, he was determined to carry that experiment further, if he ever got the chance.
The Trespasser, Complete|Gilbert Parker
I read and amused myself in any way that offered, but cared not to experiment on any more French-Canadians.
Crowded Out! and Other Sketches|Susie F. Harrison
The touchings in this experiment seem to proceed from an invisible entity and are rather disagreeable.
Mysterious Psychic Forces|Camille Flammarion
Experiment with different ones until you find and decide upon the method best suited to you.
Manual of Military Training|James A. Moss

British Dictionary definitions for experiment

experiment

noun (ɪkˈspɛrɪmənt)

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 originala poetic experiment

an obsolete word for experience

verb (ɪkˈspɛrɪˌmɛnt)

(intr) to make an experiment or experiments

Derived Forms

experimenter, noun

Word Origin for experiment

C14: from Latin experīmentum proof, trial, from experīrī to test; see experience

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for experiment

experiment

[ ĭk-spĕr′ə-mənt ]

n.

A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, to examine the validity of a hypothesis, or to determine the efficacy of something previously untried.

The process of conducting such a test; experimentation.

An innovative act or procedure.

The result of experimentation.

v.

To conduct an experiment.

To try something new, especially in order to gain experience.

Science definitions for experiment

experiment

[ ĭk-spĕr′ə-mənt ]

A test or procedure carried out under controlled conditions to determine the validity of a hypothesis or make a discovery. See Note at hypothesis.