pilot study

British

noun

a small-scale experiment or set of observations undertaken to decide how and whether to launch a full-scale project

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

The pilot study in the reservoir was supported by about $700,000 in grants from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

Now, a new scan technique may help spot the condition earlier, a pilot study at Oxford University suggests.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

A 2025 pilot study found that directed somatic movement interventions helped improve body awareness and spine mobility in older adults.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

To explore how the preclinical findings might apply to patients, the team conducted a small pilot study with women receiving paclitaxel for gynecologic cancers.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2025

I was a pilot study on the Nowhere Journey.

From Voyage To Eternity by Marlowe, Stephen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023