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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experimentatornoun
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experimenternoun
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experimentornoun
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preexperimentnoun
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proexperimentadjective
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unexperimentedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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experimentsimple
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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
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has been experimentingperfect progressive
Past
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experimentedsimple
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had experimentedperfect
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was experimentingprogressive
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were experimentingprogressive
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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.
And it would experiment with capturing carbon to stop fossil fuel emissions from entering the atmosphere.
From Salon • Jun. 26, 2026
“It was a social experiment that turned me into a well-known comedian,” Bishop says, adding that this type of programming, which might be considered “highfalutin” public TV fare in America, is more mainstream there.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
The shuttered Hello Kitty experiment animated yet another challenge in scaling raves across Dave & Buster’s many outposts: the sense that these parties are once-in-a-lifetime events that can’t be missed.
From Slate • Jun. 25, 2026
But the film recaptures a feeling of genuine uncertainty and awe at the outset of what would prove to be an enduring historical experiment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026
Surprisingly, Tamika didn’t talk about her science fair experiment.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
