exploration
Americannoun
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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
- exploratory adjective
- reexploration noun
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”; 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.
But as is made quite clear by the veteran engineers and scientists who have worked on or merely witnessed the U.S. exploration of the universe, it’s not the safest thing making space into a race.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
“This space shuttle is everything rolled into one that my husband loved: astronomy, innovation, exploration, science, math and especially children,” Oschin said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
"It was very not expandable to long-term exploration and long-term stays," he explained.
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
Isaac was adamant that humans must be in the mix, telling me that exploration was part of human DNA.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
There were, one can properly say, no voyages of discovery before 1486, only voyages of exploration.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
