experiment

noun ex·per·i·ment \ ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt also -ˈspir- \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of experiment

1 a : test, trial

make another experiment of his suspicion
—William Shakespeare

b : a tentative procedure or policy

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

See experiment defined for English-language learners

See experiment defined for kids

Examples of experiment in a Sentence

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 of experiment from the Web

Earth Day activities include an Eco Concert at 1 p.m., crafts, games, experiments and recycling opportunities. 1 p.m.

— Lake County News-Sun, "Calendar: Color yourself calm in North Chicago," 16 Apr. 2018
While this weekend's Saturday Night Live host was conducting experiments as Mr. Science, with Cecily Strong and Mikey Day, the Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri actor got an F-bomb by the censors.

— erin jensen, USA TODAY, "'SNL' host Sam Rockwell drops an F-bomb on live TV," 14 Jan. 2018
After those 50 hours, factor in time for sleep, eating and going to lectures, and how much time does that leave for studying or conducting experiments in the chemistry lab?

— OregonLive.com, "While coaching salaries skyrocket, players remain indentured servants: Issues & Answers," 11 Jan. 2018
The research is a first in the United States, though scientists in China have conducted similar experiments.

— eric betz, Discover Magazine, "Human Embryo Gets CRISPR Treatment," 29 Dec. 2017
The library will be conducting experiments and playing with OZOBOTS.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Killingly Edition," 17 Apr. 2018
Drake hopes to conduct similar experiments with trees common in North America.

— yasemin saplakoglu, Scientific American, "Trees Sweat to Keep Cool," 12 Apr. 2018
The storyline involves a missing boy and a government-run laboratory conducting experiments on kids.

— NBC News, "'Stranger Things' creators sued by filmmaker who alleges they stole ideas," 4 Apr. 2018
Roberto Romero-Molina conducted sound experiments as a teenager, using boom boxes.

— lisa deaderick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For this artist, sound speaks volumes," 3 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'experiment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of experiment

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 ¹experience

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

experiment Synonyms

Synonyms

essay, experimentation, test, trial;

Related Words

trial and error;

dry run, shakedown;

exercise, practice (also practise), rehearsal, tryout, workout;

crucible, ordeal;

attempt, effort, try;

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

experiment

verb ex·per·i·ment \ ik-ˈsper-ə-ˌment also -ˈspir \

Definition of experiment

intransitive verb

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

—

experimentation

play \ik-ˌsper-ə-mən-ˈtā-shən, -ˌmen- also -ˌspir-\ noun

—

experimenter

play \ik-ˈsper-ə-ˌmen-tər also -ˈspir-\ noun

See experiment defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of experiment from the Web

Traditional real estate players have also experimented with the concept.

— jeff andrews, Curbed, "Zillow jumps into homebuying and -selling," 13 Apr. 2018
So the lobstermen experimented with cutting it into sleeves, then threading segments of their own line into each sleeve.

— kathryn miles, BostonGlobe.com, "Can anyone save the North Atlantic right whale?," 11 Apr. 2018
Anikamadu has also experimented with the 400 during indoor season.

— kevin mcgavin, Elgin Courier-News, "Bluegrass-bound: Kentucky recruit Dubem Anikamadu leads deep sprint group for Huntley boys track," 3 Apr. 2018
Computer models of the heart British biologist Denis Noble first began experimenting with computer models of the heart in Oxford in 1960.

— Smithsonian, "Why We Should Test Heart Drugs On a ‘Virtual Human’ Instead of Animals," 26 Mar. 2018
Watch Now: The 10 Things Jimmy Butler Can’t Live Without Vibram focused on mountain sports in the early days and began experimenting with soles for non-mountain shoes as far back as the 1950s.

— tyler watamanuk, GQ, "How Vibram’s Mountaineering Soles Became a Staple of Modern Sneakers," 14 Mar. 2018
His father began experimenting with Pinot Noir, which could benefit from the Santa Lucia Highlands’ cooler temperatures.

— esther mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, "Nicky Hahn, Central Coast wine pioneer, dies at 81," 8 Mar. 2018
With issues like that in mind, the KM rec department began experimenting in 2016, adding a padded-flag program for fifth- and sixth-graders with the idea of enhancing safety and stemming the tide of dwindling participation.

— jr radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Kettle Moraine youth football programs merge; do they use a concept that might be the future of youth football?," 16 Feb. 2018
Facebook began experimenting with anti-hoax tools right after the 2016 U.S. elections, when the social network came under fire for spreading misinformation that, according to critics, might have influenced the presidential election.

— anna momigliano, Washington Post, "In Italy, Facebook will have fact checkers ‘hunting’ for fake news for the first time," 2 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of experiment

verbal derivative of ¹experiment

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1787

See Words from the same year

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

EXPERIMENT Defined for English Language Learners

experiment

noun

Definition of experiment for English Language Learners

: a scientific test in which you perform a series of actions and carefully observe their effects in order to learn about something
: something that is done as a test : something that you do to see how well or how badly it works

experiment

verb

Definition of experiment for English Language Learners

: to do a scientific test in which you perform a series of actions and carefully observe their effects
: to try a new activity or a new way of doing or thinking about something

EXPERIMENT Defined for Kids

experiment

noun ex·per·i·ment \ ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt \

Definition of experiment for Students

: a trial or test made to find out about something

experiment

verb ex·per·i·ment \ ik-ˈsper-ə-ˌment \

Definition of experiment for Students

experimented; experimenting

: to try or test a new way, idea, or activity : to make experiments

Medical Dictionary

experiment

noun ex·per·i·ment \ ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt also -ˈspir- \

medical Definition of experiment

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

intransitive verb ex·per·i·ment \ -ˌment \

medical Definition of experiment

: to carry out experiments

—

experimentation

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

—

experimenter

\-ˈsper-ə-ˌment-ər also -ˈspir-\ noun

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experiment

Definition of experiment

Examples of experiment in a Sentence

Recent Examples of experiment from the Web

Origin and Etymology of experiment

experiment Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

experiment

Definition of experiment

experimentation

experimenter

Recent Examples of experiment from the Web

Origin and Etymology of experiment

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

EXPERIMENT Defined for English Language Learners

experiment

Definition of experiment for English Language Learners

experiment

Definition of experiment for English Language Learners

EXPERIMENT Defined for Kids

experiment

Definition of experiment for Students

experiment

Definition of experiment for Students

Medical Dictionary

experiment

medical Definition of experiment

experiment

medical Definition of experiment

experimentation

experimenter

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