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
Related Words
See trial.
Other Word Forms
- experimentator noun
- experimenter noun
- experimentor noun
- preexperiment noun
- proexperiment adjective
- reexperiment verb (used without object)
- unexperimented adjective
Etymology
Origin of experiment
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English: “proof,” from Latin experīmentum “test, trial,” from experī(rī) “to test, try” ( experience ) + -mentum -ment
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.
In Citrini’s thought experiment, competitors could use coding agents to easily launch delivery apps, and drivers could use multi-app dashboards to find the best gigs.
From Barron's
They also began experimenting with the mirror using bits of food.
From Science Daily
"The experiment included five plots that together reflected typical management conditions found in a drained agricultural field -- with different groundwater levels, different amounts of fertiliser, and different numbers of harvests per season," Zhao explains.
From Science Daily
"Rather, they're just experimenting with and having fun with advanced technology."
From BBC
He posted a video on TikTok of his experiment: Spending the day in clothes doused with an entire bottle of Axe.
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.