Meanings
plural experiments
- A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried.
conduct an experiment
4 more examples
carry out some experiments
perform a scientific experiment
From her childhood she had been accustomed to watch, and often to aid, in her uncle's chemical experiments; she was, therefore, not at a loss, as a complete novice in the science would have been.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Laboratory”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 327South Korean officials announced last month that an experiment to create artificial rain did not provide the desired results.
2019, VOA Learning English (public domain) - obsoleteExperience, practical familiarity with something.
Pilot [...] Vpon his card and compas firmes his eye, The maisters of his long experiment, And to them does the steddy helme apply [...].
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
present singular third person experiments · participle present experimenting · participle past experimented · past experimented
- intransitiveTo conduct an experiment.
We're going to experiment on rats.
2 more examples
As well as demonstrating operating facilities, full-size car body models are used for experimenting with new types of interior finish, systems of lighting, positioning of route diagrams and advertisements, and the best form of windscreens at doorways, and the height and location of handgrips and handrails.
1951 October, “Models Assist Rolling Stock Design”, in Railway Magazine, page 647Bob is a shameless tourist: Coit Tower, Fisherman's Wharf, Twin Peaks, ad infinitum. I think walking the streets with a map in hand looks dumb; experimenting is much more fun.
1978 August 19, David Brill, “California Here I Come!”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 5, page 10 - obsoletetransitiveTo experience; to feel; to perceive; to detect.
The Earth, the which may have carried us about perpetually ... without our being ever able to experiment its rest.
1662 Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (Dialogue 2)
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe act of conducting a controlled test or investigation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Latinexperimentum“experience, attempt, experiment”
- Old Frenchesperiment
- Middle Englishexperiment
- Englishexperiment
From Middle English experiment, from Old French esperiment (French expérience), from Latin experimentum (“experience, attempt, experiment”), from experior (“to experience, to attempt”), itself from ex + *perior, in turn from Proto-Indo-European *per-.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πεῖρα
- πεῖρα (peîra)test under controlled conditions
Arabic تَجْرِبَة, اِخْتِبَار
- تَجْرِبَة (tajriba)test under controlled conditions
- اِخْتِبَار (iḵtibār)test under controlled conditions
- جَرَّبَ (jarraba)to conduct an experiment
Bengali পরীক্ষা
- পরীক্ষা (porikkha)test under controlled conditions
Bulgarian о́пит, експериме́нт
- о́пит (ópit)test under controlled conditions
- експериме́нт (eksperimént)test under controlled conditions
- експерименти́рам (eksperimentíram)to conduct an experiment
- опитвам (opitvam)to try out
- опитам (opitam)to try out
Catalan experiment, experimentar
- experimenttest under controlled conditions
- experimentarto conduct an experiment
- fer experimentto conduct an experiment
Chinese Cantonese 實驗 /实验
- 實驗 /实验 (sat⁶ jim⁶)test under controlled conditions
Chinese Mandarin 實驗 /实验, 實驗 /实验
- 實驗 /实验 (shíyàn)test under controlled conditions
- 實驗 /实验 (shíyàn)to conduct an experiment
Czech pokus, experiment
- pokustest under controlled conditions
- experimenttest under controlled conditions
- experimentovatto conduct an experiment
Danish eksperiment, forsøg
- eksperimenttest under controlled conditions
- forsøgtest under controlled conditions
- eksperimentereto conduct an experiment
Dutch experiment, proef
- experimenttest under controlled conditions
- proeftest under controlled conditions
- experimenterento conduct an experiment
Esperanto eksperimento, eksperimenti
- eksperimentotest under controlled conditions
- eksperimentito conduct an experiment
- provito try out
Estonian eksperiment, eksperimenteerima
- eksperimenttest under controlled conditions
- eksperimenteerimato conduct an experiment
Finnish (tieteellinen) koe, kokeilla
- (tieteellinen) koetest under controlled conditions
- kokeillato conduct an experiment
- tehdä koeto conduct an experiment
French expérience, expérimenter
- expériencetest under controlled conditions
- expérimenterto conduct an experiment
German Experiment, Versuch
- Experimenttest under controlled conditions
- Versuchtest under controlled conditions
- experimentierento conduct an experiment
Greek πείραμα, πειραματίζομαι
- πείραμα (peírama)test under controlled conditions
- πειραματίζομαι (peiramatízomai)to conduct an experiment
Hebrew ניסוי, נִסּוּי
- ניסויtest under controlled conditions
- נִסּוּי (nisúi)test under controlled conditions
Hindi प्रयोग, तजुर्बा
- प्रयोग (prayog)test under controlled conditions
- तजुर्बा (tajurbā)test under controlled conditions
- परीक्षा (parīkṣā)test under controlled conditions
Hungarian kísérlet, próba
- kísérlettest under controlled conditions
- próbatest under controlled conditions
- kísérletezikto conduct an experiment
Icelandic tilraun
- tilrauntest under controlled conditions
Irish tástáil, turgnamh
- tástáiltest under controlled conditions
- turgnamhtest under controlled conditions
Italian esperimento, fare esperimento
- esperimentotest under controlled conditions
- fare esperimentoto conduct an experiment
Japanese 実験, 実験する
- 実験 (jikken)test under controlled conditions
- 実験する (jikken suru)to conduct an experiment
Korean 실험, 실험하다
- 실험 (silheom)test under controlled conditions
- 실험하다 (silheomhada)to conduct an experiment
Latin experīmentum, perīculum
- experīmentumtest under controlled conditions
- perīculumtest under controlled conditions
Latvian eksperiments, mēģinājums
- eksperimentstest under controlled conditions
- mēģinājumstest under controlled conditions
- eksperimentētto conduct an experiment
Lithuanian eksperimentas
- eksperimentastest under controlled conditions
Malay uji kaji, eksperimen
- uji kajitest under controlled conditions
- eksperimentest under controlled conditions
- menguji kajito conduct an experiment
Māori whakamātauranga, whakamātau
- whakamātaurangatest under controlled conditions
- whakamātautest under controlled conditions
- whakamātauto conduct an experiment
Norwegian Bokmål eksperiment, forsøk
- eksperimenttest under controlled conditions
- forsøktest under controlled conditions
Polish eksperyment, doświadczenie
- eksperymenttest under controlled conditions
- doświadczenietest under controlled conditions
- próbatest under controlled conditions
- eksperymentowaćto conduct an experiment
- przeprowadzać doświadczenieto conduct an experiment
Portuguese experimento, experiência
- experimentotest under controlled conditions
- experiênciatest under controlled conditions
- experimentarto conduct an experiment
Punjabi ਪਰੀਖਿਆ
- ਪਰੀਖਿਆ (parīkhiā)test under controlled conditions
Romanian experiment
- experimenttest under controlled conditions
Russian экспериме́нт, о́пыт
- экспериме́нт (eksperimént)test under controlled conditions
- о́пыт (ópyt)test under controlled conditions
- про́ба (próba)test under controlled conditions
- эксперименти́ровать (eksperimentírovatʹ)to conduct an experiment
- производи́ть о́пыт (proizvodítʹ ópyt)to conduct an experiment
- произвести́ о́пыт (proizvestí ópyt)to conduct an experiment
- ста́вить о́пыт (stávitʹ ópyt)to conduct an experiment
- поста́вить о́пыт (postávitʹ ópyt)to conduct an experiment
Slovak pokus, experiment
- pokustest under controlled conditions
- experimenttest under controlled conditions
Spanish experimento, experimentar
- experimentotest under controlled conditions
- experimentarto conduct an experiment
- expermentarto conduct an experiment
Swahili jaribio, -jaribu
- jaribiotest under controlled conditions
- -jaributo conduct an experiment
Swedish experiment, försök
- experimenttest under controlled conditions
- försöktest under controlled conditions
- experimenterato conduct an experiment
Tagalog tilaw, eksperimento
- tilawtest under controlled conditions
- eksperimentotest under controlled conditions
Thai การทดลอง, ทดลอง
- การทดลอง (gaan-tót-lɔɔng)test under controlled conditions
- ทดลอง (tót-lɔɔng)to conduct an experiment
Turkish deney (n), tecrübe
- deney (n)test under controlled conditions
- tecrübetest under controlled conditions
- denemetest under controlled conditions
Ukrainian експериме́нт, до́слід
- експериме́нт (eksperymént)test under controlled conditions
- до́слід (dóslid)test under controlled conditions
- до́свід (dósvid)test under controlled conditions
- спро́ба (spróba)test under controlled conditions
- експериментува́ти (eksperymentuváty)to conduct an experiment
Urdu تَجْرِبَہ
- تَجْرِبَہ (tajriba)test under controlled conditions
Vietnamese thí nghiệm
- thí nghiệmtest under controlled conditions
Welsh arbrawf
- arbrawftest under controlled conditions
Yiddish עקספּערימענט
- עקספּערימענט (eksperiment)test under controlled conditions
Cite this entry
experiment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/experiment
“experiment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/experiment. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “experiment,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/experiment.
Source: experiment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.