exploration
Americannoun
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explorations
plural
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an act or instance of exploring or investigating; examination.
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the investigation of unknown regions.
noun
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the act or process of exploring
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med examination of an organ or part for diagnostic purposes
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an organized trip into unfamiliar regions, esp for scientific purposes; expedition
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of exploration
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin explōrātiōn-, stem of explōrātiō “examination,” from explōrāt(us) “searched out, examined” (past participle of explōrāre “to search out, examine”; see explore) + -iō -ion
Explanation
An exploration is a trip, but it's more than just a vacation — it's going somewhere to examine and discover new things. Exploration is what you do when you want to learn more about what's out there in the big wide world. Guys like Christopher Columbus were experts in exploration. Some astronauts devote their lives to the exploration of space, looking for new planets. But you don't have to go any farther than your local library to do your own exploration — when you study or research something, you could say you're doing an exploration of it.
Vocabulary lists containing exploration
Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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The Renaissance and Early Modern European History - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
According to the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, the creatine breakthrough of the 1990s had "launched a new era in sports nutrition" and "sparked exploration into other supplements".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
"The longitudinal exploration of cardiovascular health throughout life, rather than assessing it at a single time point, could also provide further insight into the trajectory phenotypes contributing to cognitive decline by ethnicity," Vazquez said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
AI is the latest chapter in a long history of oil-and-gas engineers expanding the frontiers of exploration and squeezing more hydrocarbons from fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
In March, the NBA board of governors had approved the exploration of franchise expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
He was said to be involved in high politics, in secret exploration, in distant warfare, and she never knew when he was going to appear.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
He described the vows as "long, entertaining, personal, charming, emotional, irreverent and endearing explorations by each" about how they met and why they wanted to be married.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Unlike recent explorations of pop superstardom in “The Moment,” “Smile 2” or “A Star is Born” — all fascinating depictions that focus on the varied perils of fame — Lowery aims for something more enigmatic.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
The reader accompanies Garza through her explorations of her ancestral lands as she unlocks key pieces of archival research on the 1934 workers’ strike in which her grandparents were involved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
With spectacular fecundity, Bach churned out one masterpiece after another in meeting his liturgical deadlines, and they stand as one of the proudest explorations of the human imagination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
Forcing himself to rise and carry on, Matthias continued his explorations.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
