experiment

1 of 3

noun (1)

ex·​per·​i·​ment ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt 

also

-ˈspir- 

1

a

: test, trial

… make another / experiment of his suspicion …

—William Shakespeare

b

: a tentative procedure or policy

The company is trying an experiment in staggered starting times.

c

: an operation or procedure carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover an unknown effect or law, to test or establish a hypothesis, or to illustrate a known law

2

obsolete : experience

3

: the process of testing : experimentation

experiment

2 of 3

verb

ex·​per·​i·​ment ik-ˈsper-ə-ˌment 

also -ˈspir

experimented; experimenting; experiments

intransitive verb

: to carry out experiments : try out a new procedure, idea, or activity

experimentation

ik-ˌsper-ə-mən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌmen-

also -ˌspir-

noun

experimenter

ik-ˈsper-ə-ˌmen-tər 

also -ˈspir-

noun

experimenter

3 of 3

noun (2)

ex·​per·​i·​ment·​er

variants or experimentor

", 

(ˌ)⸗ˌ⸗⸗ˈmen‧ˌtȯ(ə)r, 

-ȯ(ə)

plural -s

: one that experiments or conducts an experiment

specifically : one that conducts an experiment in introspective psychology by arranging and determining the physical conditions of the observer's experience

Synonyms of experiment

Noun (1)

• test

Examples of experiment in a Sentence

Noun (1)

Students will carry out simple laboratory experiments.

They did some experiments with magnets.

These theories have not yet been confirmed by experiment.

an experiment in living more frugally

the city's experiment with a longer school year

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At some point, the experiment ceases to require quotation marks. — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Rechtin knew this, and his design included clever geometry to at least improve its chances of surviving experiments. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026

Verb

The Moon’s square to inventive Uranus favors experimenting when the original approach hits a snag. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2026

Under Biden, mainstream Democrats experimented with more transformative policy goals without the political populism—leftist economics by wonks. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, "testing, proof, remedy," borrowed from Anglo-French esperiment, borrowed from Latin experīmentum "testing, experience, proof," from experīrī "to put to the test, attempt, have experience of, undergo" + -mentum -ment — more at experience entry 1

Verb

verbal derivative of experiment entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1667, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing experiment

• control experiment
• controlled experiment
• experiment station
• pre-experiment
• thought experiment

Rhymes for experiment

• merriment

Kids Definition

experiment

1 of 2 noun

ex·​per·​i·​ment ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt 

: test entry 1 sense 1, trial entry 1 sense 1

especially : a procedure or operation carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover something, to test a hypothesis, or to serve as an example

experiment

2 of 2 verb

ex·​per·​i·​ment ik-ˈsper-ə-ˌment 

: to make experiments

experimentation

ik-ˌsper-ə-mən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌmen-

noun

Medical Definition

experiment

1 of 2 noun

ex·​per·​i·​ment

ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt also -ˈspir-

1

: a procedure carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover an unknown effect or law, to test or establish a hypothesis, or to illustrate a known law

2

: the process of testing : experimentation

experiment

2 of 2 intransitive verb

ex·​per·​i·​ment -ˌment 

: to carry out experiments

experimentation

ik-ˌsper-ə-mən-ˈtā-shən, -ˌmen- also -ˌspir- 

noun

experimenter

-ˈsper-ə-ˌment-ər also -ˈspir- 

noun