thought experiment

American

noun

Physics. a demonstration or calculation that is based on the postulates of a theory, as relativity, and that demonstrates or clarifies the consequences of the postulates.

Etymology

Origin of thought experiment

First recorded in 1940–45

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 Disappearing Act” is more of a thought experiment about M’s effort to become “invisible and free.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

For Tesla’s Musk, space-based data centers appear to be well more than just a thought experiment.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

In Citrini’s thought experiment, competitors could use coding agents to easily launch delivery apps, and drivers could use multi-app dashboards to find the best gigs.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Musk met Grimes while trying to make a dad joke about Roko’s Basilisk, a thought experiment about an all-powerful future artificial intelligence that punishes past critics via time travel.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2025

It was a cumbersome way of doing business, but it got the job done and went far beyond what Archimedes needed to solve his thought experiment.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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