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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experimentornoun
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proexperimentadjective
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reexperimentverb (used without object)
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experimenternoun
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unexperimentedadjective
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preexperimentnoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has experimentedperfect 3rd person singular
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have experimentedperfect
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am experimentingprogressive 1st person singular
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are experimentingprogressive
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have been experimentingperfect progressive
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is experimentingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been experimentingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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experimentingparticiple
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experimentssingular 3rd person
Past
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had experimentedperfect
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had been experimentingperfect progressive
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were experimentingprogressive plural
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was experimentingprogressive singular
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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.
Researchers led by Suketu Patel put several leading AI models through a well-known psychology experiment called the Stroop task.
From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026
The researchers initially ran a 30-day field experiment in which they randomly assigned about 840,000 Instacart shoppers to one of two groups.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Rhys, also an executive producer on “Widow’s Bay,” refers to Dippold and Murai as a “match made in heaven,” and Murai’s grounded approach helped Rhys find his footing, while giving the actor room to experiment.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Guardiola repeated the experiment weeks later in the Champions League final against Manchester United.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
And I’ve been doing fine in all my classes, except for one B-minus on a science experiment.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
