simulation

sim·u·la·tion | \ ˌsim-yə-ˈlā-shən

Definition of simulation

1 : the act or process of simulating

2 : a sham object : counterfeit

3a : the imitative representation of the functioning of one system or process by means of the functioning of another a computer simulation of an industrial process

b : examination of a problem often not subject to direct experimentation by means of a simulating device

Examples of simulation in a Sentence

a computer simulation of spaceflight a simulation of the planet's surface They use computer simulation to predict weather conditions.

Recent Examples on the Web The embassy ran a simulation of a protest and attack that appeared similar to the one in Baghdad on Tuesday. — Eric Adams, Wired, "How the US Prepares Its Embassies for Potential Attacks," 3 Jan. 2020 From his base at Purdue’s Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences department, Melosh did a study by running 100,000 simulations of space objects hitting Mars. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "If We Ever Find Lifeforms on Other Moons, We (Probably) Won't Be Related at All," 20 Dec. 2019 The second affect is the chimera effect, this is what causes a kind of gravity simulation of gravity neutralization because you are stabilized in 3D space. — Laraib Hashmi, Houston Chronicle, "Woodlands resident and doctor creates technology for flying vehicles," 17 Dec. 2019 Engineers, meanwhile, have created impressive simulations of the brain in artificial neural networks—though the abilities of these machines have only made the difference between intelligence and consciousness more stark. — Meghan O’gieblyn, The New Yorker, "Do We Have Minds of Our Own?," 4 Dec. 2019 The New York Times, FiveThirtyEight and Football Outsiders do simulations of the season’s remaining games thousands of times to produce playoff odds for each NFL team. — Scott Patsko, cleveland, "How the Browns’ loss to the Patriots impacted their playoff chances," 29 Oct. 2019 Bacon said that Google expected the same three uses that other quantum computing companies are focusing on: simulation of quantum systems like complex chemicals and biomolecules; machine learning; and optimization problems. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Here’s what the people who claimed Google’s quantum supremacy have to say about it," 24 Oct. 2019 The research team ran almost 10,000 computer model simulations, using random combinations of various parameters. — Pasquale Raia, The Conversation, "Fast evolution explains the tiny stature of extinct ‘Hobbit’ from Flores Island," 8 Oct. 2019 Physics simulations show that living organisms could not have made it from Mars to Jupiter aboard asteroids. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "If We Ever Find Lifeforms on Other Moons, We (Probably) Won't Be Related at All," 20 Dec. 2019

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about simulation

Dictionary Entries near simulation

Statistics for simulation

Last Updated

10 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Simulation.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simulation. Accessed 23 January 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for simulation

simulation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of simulation

: something that is made to look, feel, or behave like something else especially so that it can be studied or used to train people

See the full definition for simulation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

simulation

noun

sim·u·la·tion | \ ˌsim-yə-ˈlā-shən

Legal Definition of simulation

in the civil law of Louisiana

1 : the act of simulating

2 : a contract that by mutual agreement does not express the true intent of the parties — see also counterletter — compare disguised donation at donation

Note: Although a simulation does not have effect as between the parties, its lack of effect may not be asserted against third parties, such as creditors or bona fide purchasers, to avoid liability.

Keep scrolling for more