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

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

"My medication is often changed and doses increased. It is still so much trial and error."

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

"Then I thought, what if we could map the entire brain and gain a much broader view? It took several rounds of testing and trial and error before the measurements and analysis worked well together."

From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026

Figuring out who and how you love takes trial and error, two things Andie and Blane both endure while trying to fit into each other’s respective worlds.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

A good illustration of the histories of trial and error involved is furnished by the development of gunpowder and gasoline from raw materials.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond