experiment

1 of 2

noun

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

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 

 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

Synonyms

Noun

• essay
• experimentation
• test
• trial

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

If user metrics raise questions, run experiments to get better numbers. —Andrey Sergeenkov, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

By the end of the experiment, Paul felt surer of herself. —Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

Verb

Mining giant Rio Tinto is experimenting with ways to extract lithium that exists in boron mining waste, and a Canadian startup is working to recover rare earths from tin-mine tailings. —Vince Beiser, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024

Target, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and others have experimented with small format stores over the past decade. —Kevin Williams, CNBC, 30 Nov. 2024

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

Phrases Containing experiment

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

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