trial and error

American  

noun

1. experimentation or investigation in which various methods or means are tried and faulty ones eliminated in order to find the correct solution or to achieve the desired result or effect.

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trial and error British  

noun

1. a method of discovery, solving problems, etc, based on practical experiment and experience rather than on theory

   he learned to cook by trial and error

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trial and error Cultural  

1. To “proceed by trial and error” is to experiment, rejecting what does not work and adopting what does.

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trial and error Idioms  

1. An attempt to accomplish something by trying various means until the correct one is found. for example, The only way to solve this problem is by trial and error. The error here alludes to the failed means or attempts, which are discarded until the right way is found. [c. 1800]

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Other Word Forms

• trial-and-error
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of trial and error

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

But through trial and error, it helped clarify one of the major obstacles standing in the way of widespread AI adoption, and it has proposed a way forward.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

And this is not the first Ebola outbreak the world has seen; there are many individuals and organizations who have responded to Ebola crises before and who, through trial and error, largely understand what works.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

The criminals, like everyone else, are still trying to figure out how best to use AI through trial and error.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

This allows the system to plan more effectively and avoid unnecessary trial and error.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

As the landscape evolved, there must have been a long period of trial and error in which plants attempted the colonization of this high and windswept land.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson