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.

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

This project marks the first pilot study to explore family connections among Scandinavian Neolithic hunter-gatherers using archaeogenetic methods.

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026

Moorfields hospital in London is the world's first dedicated clinic for the disorder and seven out of eight patients given the pioneering treatment have responded to the therapy, a pilot study shows.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026

Though Loyal reported “no clinically significant adverse effects” in their pilot study that was submitted to the FDA for preliminary efficacy acknowledgement, it was only 48 dogs over the course of three months.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 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