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:
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
The broader effort is intended to support long-term exploration and eventually establish a sustained human presence on the lunar surface alongside continuing robotic operations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
In 2021, the Greenlandic government, which manages the island's natural resources, declared a moratorium on the exploration and extraction of oil across the Arctic territory, which has been profoundly disrupted by climate change.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Nash's exploration of Irish history also places her in a long tradition of second-generation Irish artists examining their heritage.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The exploration of the Cosmos is a voyage of self-discovery.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Users create maps, fictional diary entries, survival guides, found-footage videos and first-person explorations that collectively expand the world.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
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
In the fragmented mysteries of the great Argentine filmmaker Lucretia Martel, her explorations always start with sensory flashes: faces, spaces, objects, sounds in transfixing procession.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 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
But it would not be until the early 1940s that a major breakthrough would allow more efficient undersea explorations, discoveries, and excavations in the form of an invention by Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
