trial and error
noun
: a finding out of the best way to reach a desired result or a correct solution by trying out one or more ways or means and by noting and eliminating errors or causes of failure
also
: the trying of one thing or another until something succeeds
Examples of trial and error in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our mother figures and friends can serve as the best sources of inspiration for beauty tips and tricks, thanks to many years of trial and error.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2024
Many years of trial and error have revealed that such wide swaths are best applied while the map is still two-dimensional.
—Tom Weijand, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2024
One tool now shortening the distance between trial and error is the computer.
—John Johnson Jr., Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Aug. 2024
This provides the training fodder for a second algorithm to learn, through trial and error, how to find proofs that can be confirmed as correct.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for trial and error 
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2024
Many years of trial and error have revealed that such wide swaths are best applied while the map is still two-dimensional.
—Tom Weijand, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2024
One tool now shortening the distance between trial and error is the computer.
—John Johnson Jr., Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Aug. 2024
This provides the training fodder for a second algorithm to learn, through trial and error, how to find proofs that can be confirmed as correct.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for trial and error
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trial and error.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Trial and error.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trial%20and%20error. Accessed 6 Sep. 2024.
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