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definitions

experiment

[ noun ik-sper-uh-muhnt; verb ek-sper-uh-ment ]
/ noun ɪkˈspɛr ə mənt; verb ɛkˈspɛr əˌmɛnt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR experiment ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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RELATED WORDS

search, probe, attempt, observation, undertaking, study, practice, enterprise, analysis, research, trial, examination, procedure, venture, measure, operation, exercise, experimentation, explore, analyze

Nearby words

  1. experience table,
  2. experienced,
  3. experiencer,
  4. experiential,
  5. experientialism,
  6. experiment station,
  7. experimental,
  8. experimental condition,
  9. experimental group,
  10. experimental medicine

Origin of experiment

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

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

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 Formsexperimenter, 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
Word Origin and History for experiment
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.