experiment

1 of 2

noun

ex·​per·​i·​ment ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt How to pronounce experiment (audio)
also
-ˈspir- How to pronounce experiment (audio)
1
a
: test, trial
make another experiment of his suspicionWilliam 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

experiment

2 of 2

verb

ex·​per·​i·​ment ik-ˈsper-ə-ˌment How to pronounce experiment (audio)
 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 How to pronounce experiment (audio)
-ˌmen-
 also  -ˌspir-
noun
experimenter
ik-ˈsper-ə-ˌmen-tər How to pronounce experiment (audio)
 also  -ˈspir-
noun

Examples of experiment in a Sentence

Noun 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
That will be available to music labels and distributors who rep artists participating in YouTube’s early AI music experiments. Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 Nov. 2023 The company is currently working on a handful of experiments. Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 In experiments, the scientists had Ironstone examine data from Niterói’s civil defense department. IEEE Spectrum, 10 Nov. 2023 Or, make your go-to sauce plus an exciting experiment. Aleksandra Crapanzano / Photographs By F. Martin Ramin/the Wall Street Journal, Food Styling By Kim Ramin , WSJ, 10 Nov. 2023 Dias' team apparently used a non-standard method for calculating the background noise in a key experiment and didn't include the details of how this was done in the paper. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023 Otherwise, how will the James Harden experiment work? Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023 One experiment, for example, focused on participants' completion of word puzzles after being shown images designed to elicit specific emotional responses. Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2023 Lench said the most interesting outcome came from the first experiment, which measured the number of word puzzles participants could solve in different states of emotion. Katie Mogg, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2023
Verb
Although faux freckles are nothing new in beauty circles–nor indeed for Hailey–experimenting with them in a season other than summer felt fresh and unexpected. Georgia Day, Vogue, 14 Nov. 2023 Most celebrities — even the ones who experiment with the wildest colors and edgiest cuts — have a default hairstyle. Marci Robin, Allure, 13 Nov. 2023 Although faux freckles are nothing new in beauty circles–nor indeed for Bieber—experimenting with them in a season other than summer felt fresh and unexpected. Georgia Day, Glamour, 13 Nov. 2023 Tequila Ocho Blanco Ocho was among the first tequila brands to experiment with terroir on a large scale. Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2023 Shields isn’t the only one experimenting with the ingredient. New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Just a bunch of friends experimenting with artmaking, collage, and sharing their love of music. Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2023 Chip companies large and small are experimenting with slices of synthetic diamond, pieces of ultrapure glass or even an obscure material only recently synthesized in quantities sufficient to test its properties. Christopher Mims, WSJ, 4 Nov. 2023 Corvo has experimented with other newsmagazines during his time at NBC News. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'experiment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

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

Verb

1787, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of experiment was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near experiment

Cite this Entry

“Experiment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/experiment. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

experiment

1 of 2 noun
ex·​per·​i·​ment ik-ˈsper-ə-mənt How to pronounce experiment (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce experiment (audio)
: to make experiments
experimentation 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 How to pronounce experiment (audio)
: to carry out experiments

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