simulation

American  

[sim-yuh-lay-shuhn] / ˌsɪm jəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

• simulations
  plural

1. imitation or enactment, as of something anticipated or in testing.

2. the act or process of pretending; feigning.

3. an assumption or imitation of a particular appearance or form; counterfeit; sham.

4. Psychiatry. a conscious attempt to feign some mental or physical disorder to escape punishment or to gain a desired objective.

5. the representation of the behavior or characteristics of one system through the use of another system, especially a computer program designed for the purpose.

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simulation British  

/ ˌsɪmjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of simulating

2. the assumption of a false appearance or form

3. a representation of a problem, situation, etc, in mathematical terms, esp using a computer

4. maths statistics computing the construction of a mathematical model for some process, situation, etc, in order to estimate its characteristics or solve problems about it probabilistically in terms of the model

5. psychiatry the conscious process of feigning illness in order to gain some particular end; malingering

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsimulation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• simulations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of simulation

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English simulacion, from Latin simulātiōn- (stem of simulātiō ) “a pretense”; see simulate, -ion

Explanation

A simulation is a representation of something, not the real thing, like the simulation of life in New York City, seen in movies that were shot on Hollywood sound stages and on the streets of Toronto. A simulation is something that represents something else — it isn't the real thing. At times you might perform a simulation as practice for real life, such as a flight simulation that’s used to train pilots. The word can also be used, often dismissively, to describe something that is a fake, like a simulation of excitement or the simulation of a perfect diamond.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

simulation simulations

“I don’t think that AI simulation training is going to replace altogether that observing and learning by doing,” she adds, but “you can actually pick up patterns possibly faster.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

"Working at the intersection of quantum simulation and high-energy physics is incredibly exciting," said Arinjoy De, first author on the paper, former PhD student in Monroe's lab and now production machine lead at QuEra Computing.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

A Monte Carlo simulation, widely used in financial planning, calculates the probability that you’ll run out of money before you die.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

“It was easier to imagine that this was a simulation, a game. Surely they didn’t really think that I was a spy.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

I watched their fingers fly across the keys and realized that the programming for an actual Glitch was almost identical to the simulation programming I’d learned back at the Academy.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

In simulations, GPT-6 spontaneously carried out cyberattacks at rates significantly higher than those observed for the other two interfaces.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

The research has applications in robotics and virtual simulations.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

When they held a mock negotiation at the end of the summer, three of the four finalists were from the group that did the simulations, says Megan Ma, the lab’s executive director.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Once these black hole seeds form, the simulations show that they can become surrounded by thick disks of dense gas.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

“Perhaps their intention was merely to identify us. It seems like useful information to have, if they intend to use their simulations again.”

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Related Words

• reproduction