as in experimental
done or created to find something or to learn more about something
exploratory drilling for oil
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Recent Examples of exploratory
In recent years, Amazon’s assumption of the Thursday Night Football package and exploratory nibbles from the likes of YouTube have poured billions of bonus bucks into the league’s coffers.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 May 2026
The Vikings brought free-agent receiver Jauan Jennings in for some exploratory sessions, and that signing remains a possibility.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 4 May 2026
After a two-month exploratory tour, Hamilton, 61, chose to run as a Democrat rather than an independent to avoid splitting votes.
—Hannah Wise, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
The Pentagon announced the initial, exploratory contracts with Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI in July.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 May 2026
The Vikings brought free-agent receiver Jauan Jennings in for some exploratory sessions, and that signing remains a possibility.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 4 May 2026
After a two-month exploratory tour, Hamilton, 61, chose to run as a Democrat rather than an independent to avoid splitting votes.
—Hannah Wise, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
The Pentagon announced the initial, exploratory contracts with Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI in July.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploratory
Adjective
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Joining Busta on this year’s line-up of speakers, panelists, and songwriting-camp participants are the experimental R&B vocalist serpentwithfeet, Flatbush Zombies‘ Erick the Architect, and Brooklyn indie act Pom Pom Squad, plus 200 or so other writers, producers, and performers.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2026
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As part of the agreement, Incyte’s proprietary experimental data will be used to train Genesis’s foundation model to increase its capabilities.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Its platform is used by hundreds of correctional and public safety agencies across the country, offering tools to organize, analyze, and interpret communications data in support of investigative operations.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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Complementing this perspective, vet investigative reporter, writer and doc maker Caco Barcellos will lecture about storytelling and journalistic responsibility.—
Marcelo Cajueiro,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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In-hand images aren’t yet available, but a speculative mock-up was shared which is said to accurately depict what the new sneaker will look like.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
23 May 2026
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Bianco noted many issuers are focused on their leverage ratios and interest coverage, and there is more focus on refinancing in the market than on speculative on M&A and leveraged buyout issuance, with the latter having moved more to the private side of the bond market.—
Krysta Escobar,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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Each experience builds resilience and encourages you to get curious rather than be tentative.—
Heather Kelly,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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The University of California and AFSCME Local 3299 reached a last-minute tentative deal hours before more than 40,000 workers were set to strike across 10 campuses.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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According to a preliminary investigation, four suspects wearing hoodies and gloves used hammers to smash a display case and stole jewelry.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
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Outside of a track and field preliminary meet at Yorba Linda High on Saturday, an anti-transgender advocacy group called Save Girls’ Sports organized a protest against California policies that allow transgender athletes to compete based on their gender identity.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Candidates must demonstrate practical, daily AI fluency, not just theoretical knowledge, proven by automating real workflows.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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And the chaos is no longer theoretical.—
Wyles Daniel
May 19,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exploratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploratory. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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