clinical trial

noun

: a scientifically controlled study of the safety and effectiveness of a therapeutic agent (such as a drug or vaccine) using consenting human subjects

Examples of clinical trial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Headed for trials Following successful testing in mice and rats, the first human clinical trial is slated to begin in early 2026 at the Center for Human Drug Research, which is associated with the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026 No randomized clinical trials have studied the effect of paradoxical intent on New Year’s resolutions. Richard A. Friedman, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026 World-first findings on coffee and irregular heartbeat University of Adelaide and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers led a randomized clinical trial of 200 adults from Australia, the US and Canada with atrial fibrillation (AF) to test coffee's impact on irregular heartbeats. New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2026 Those comments followed the release of clinical trial data from Lilly in mid-December. Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for clinical trial

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of clinical trial was in 1946

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Cite this Entry

“Clinical trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clinical%20trial. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.

Medical Definition

clinical trial

noun
: a scientifically controlled study of the safety and effectiveness of a therapeutic agent (as a drug or vaccine) using consenting human subjects

More from Merriam-Webster on clinical trial

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