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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experimenternoun
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reexperimentverb (used without object)
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unexperimentedadjective
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preexperimentnoun
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experimentatornoun
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experimentornoun
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proexperimentadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have experimentedperfect
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has experimentedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been experimentingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is experimentingprogressive 3rd person singular
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experimentingparticiple
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have been experimentingperfect progressive
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are experimentingprogressive
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am experimentingprogressive 1st person singular
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experimentssingular 3rd person
Past
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had experimentedperfect
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was experimentingprogressive singular
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had been experimentingperfect progressive
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were experimentingprogressive plural
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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.
To explore whether the phenomenon could be useful for real-world oil spill cleanup, the research team designed an experiment large enough to mimic more realistic conditions.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
When assigning sections, Millepied used a curatorial eye to give the choreographers portions of music he knew they’d be able to experiment with and make the most of.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Just as the sport itself is unpredictable, there is no telling which way this new experiment in three-way hosting will go.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
No one knows how the experiment will turn out.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Jack will be home soon, too, and he can check if I’m doing the experiment the right way.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
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.
