experiment
[noun]
Synonyms:
- test, examination, experimentation, investigation, procedure, proof, research, trial, trial run
[verb]
Synonyms:
- test, examine, investigate, put to the test, research, sample, try, verify

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Related Idioms: play around with
Related Words: probe, research, search, examination, investigation, analysis, study, investigate, analyze, scrutinize, weigh

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English Thesaurus: research, work, study, experiment, take, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. ex‧per‧i‧ment¹ S3 W2 /ɪkˈsperəmənt, ɪkˈsperɪmənt/ noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: experiment, experimentation; verb: experiment; adverb: experimentally; adjective: experimental]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin experimentum, from experiri; ⇒ experience¹]

1. a scientific test done to find out how something reacts under certain conditions, or to find out if a particular idea is true
experiment with/in/on
experiments with alcohol-fuelled cars
experiments on sleep deprivation
by experiment
Many small birds guide themselves by the stars, as has been verified by experiment.

2. a process in which you test a new idea or method to see if it is useful or effective
experiment with/in/on
an experiment in state socialism

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. ex‧per‧i‧ment² /ɪkˈsperəment, ɪkˈsperɪment/ verb [intransitive]
[Word Family: noun: experiment, experimentation; verb: experiment; adverb: experimentally; adjective: experimental]

1. to try using various ideas, methods etc to find out how good or effective they are
experiment with/on/in
He experimented with lighter-than-air flight.
The teacher provided some different materials and left the children to experiment.

2. to do a scientific test to find out if a particular idea is true or to obtain more information
experiment with/on
I would defend the right of scientists to experiment on animals.

3. to try doing something to find out what it feels like, for example having sex or using illegal drugs
experiment with
She admitted she had experimented with cocaine.
—experimenter noun [countable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

experiment
noun
ADJ. animal protesting against animal experiments
field, laboratory | educational, medical, psychological, scientific | practical | thought His efforts involved thought experiments and analogies, rather than detailed experimentation.
simple | brief | careful, control (science), controlled | interesting | ingenious | pioneering | bold the country's bold experiment with economic reform
successful, unsuccessful | pilot, preliminary | further Further experiments will be carried out to verify this result.
celebrated, classic/classical, famous, well-known Pavlov's famous experiment with the dog and the dinner bell
unique Brazil's unique experiment with alcohol-fuelled cars
VERB + EXPERIMENT carry out, conduct, do, perform | try The school decided to try an experiment in single-sex teaching.
design | set up | describe, report a classic experiment reported in 1964
EXPERIMENT + VERB confirm sth, demonstrate sth, find sth, illustrate sth, prove sth, show sth | indicate sth, suggest sth | be aimed at sth, be designed to do sth an experiment aimed at cutting road deaths resulting from excessive speeding
involve sth, use sth | be successful, work If the conditions are not right, the experiment will not work.
fail
PREP. by ~ The appropriate concentration of the drug is best determined by experiment.
during an/the ~ The animals seemed healthy during the experiment.
in an/the ~ In these experiments, chilling is necessary.
~ in the country's brief experiment in multi-party democracy
~ on The team carried out experiments on cancer tissue.
~ with conducting an experiment with zinc chips and hydrochloric acid

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

experiment
verb
ADV. successfully
VERB + EXPERIMENT begin to | continue to
PREP. on They experimented successfully on the plants to discover disease-resistant varieties.
with We have experimented with various different designs of kite.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

experiment

do/carry out an experiment
They carried out a series of experiments to test the theory.
He did some experiments with bats.
perform/conduct an experiment formal (=do an experiment)
The laboratory began conducting experiments on rats.
an experiment shows/proves/demonstrates something
His experiment showed that lightning was a kind of electricity.
The experiment proved that fabrics treated with the chemical are much less likely to catch fire.
a scientific experiment
Astronauts performed scientific experiments during the flight.
animal experiments (=experiments using animals)
I think most animal experiments are cruel and unnecessary.
a laboratory experiment (=one that takes place in a laboratory)
They did a series of laboratory experiments on human sleep patterns in the 1960s.
a field experiment (=one that takes place in the real world, not in a laboratory)
In field experiments, we used patients who did not know that it was a test situation.
a controlled experiment (=one that is done using correct scientific methods)
The theory has not yet been tested by a properly controlled experiment.
a practical experiment (=one that relates to real situations or events, not scientific theories)
The research team compiled a set of practical experiments in Modern Astronomy.
an experiment to test/measure/find out something
We did an experiment to test the acidity of the soil.
a bold experiment (=one that tries to achieve a lot and takes risks)
The country's bold experiment with economic reform has not paid off yet.
a unique experiment (=one that has not been done before)
Congestion charging is a unique experiment that other UK cities are watching with interest.
a democratic/socialist/communist experiment (=one in which a country tries a new political system)
He went to Havana to judge for himself the success or failure of the socialist experiment.
a social experiment (=one in which people try a new way of living and organizing society)
The community started out as a social experiment.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

experiment
I.
verb
BAD: I agree that it is wrong to experiment with animals.
GOOD: I agree that it is wrong to experiment on animals.

Usage Note:
experiment on a person or animal: 'Experiments on twins have shown that the human mind has mysterious powers.'
Compare: 'Doctors are experimenting with a new drug that, they hope, will provide a cure for the common cold.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

experiment
II.
noun
BAD: They shouldn't be allowed to make these experiments.
GOOD: They shouldn't be allowed to perform these experiments.

Usage Note:
perform/conduct/carry out/do an experiment (NOT make ): 'Further experiments will have to be conducted before the drug can be tested on humans.'
DO · HAVE · MAKE · TAKE
Many phrases begin with a very common very such as do, make, have, or take : ‘I felt very nervous about taking the test but, after having a long talk with Mrs Fisher, I decided I would just do my best and try not to make too many silly mistakes .’ These verbs can be combined with some nouns but not with others and since they do not have a clear meaning of their own, choosing the right combination can be a problem. Phrases which tend to cause difficulty are shown below.
HAVE
have a bath (or esp. AmE take ) ‘She’s probably upstairs having a bath.’
Have (your) breakfast ‘We usually have breakfast in the kitchen.’
Have (your) dinner ‘We had dinner and then went for a walk.’
Have a drink ‘I’ll collapse if I don’t have a drink soon.’
Have (an) experience ‘He has no experience of running a large company.’
Have fun ‘You can’t stop people from having fun.’
Have a holiday ‘It’s almost a year since we had a real holiday.’
Have an interview ‘I’ve had six interviews but no one has offered me a job.’
Have a lesson ‘Every morning we have three fifty-minute lessons.’
Have (your) lunch ‘Isn’t it about time we had lunch?’
Have an operation ‘Before I had the operation I could hardly walk.’
Have a party ‘On Saturday we’re having a party.’
Have a picnic ‘If it’s sunny we could have a picnic.’
Have a shower (or esp. AmE take) ‘It only takes me a minute to have a shower.’
TAKE
Take/do an examination ‘Why do we have to take so many tests?’
Take (your) medicine ‘Don’t forget to take your medicine.’
Take a pill ‘He refuses to take sleeping pills.’
Take/do a test ‘The last test I took was a disaster.’
MAKE
Make an effort ‘I had to make a big effort not to laugh.’
Make a journey ‘It was the first journey he’d made all on his own.’
Make a mistake ‘He has made a serious mistake.’
Make a noise ‘How can one small child make so much noise?’
Make progress ‘I made very little progress at the start of the course.’
DO
Do your best ‘Don’t worry, Tim. Just do your best.’
Do (or cause) damage ‘The storm did a lot of damage to the crops.’
Do an exercise ‘Have you done your exercises today?’
Do an experiment ‘To do this experiment, you’ll need two eggs.’
Do (sb) good ‘The holiday has done him a lot of good.’
Do harm ‘A scandal would do his reputation a lot of harm.’
Do your homework ‘Have you done your homework yet?’
Do a job ‘I’ve got one or two jobs to do this evening.’
Do the/some shopping ‘Jake has gone into town to do some shopping.’
Do research ‘We need to do a lot more research.’
Do things ‘We’ve done lots of different things today.’
Do your training ‘Where did you do your training?’
Note also: do something/anything etc: ‘I can’t come now – I’m doing something.’ ‘He hasn’t done anything wrong.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

research noun [uncountable] careful detailed work that is done in order to find out more about a subject, especially as a part of a scientific or academic project:
Billions of dollars have been spent on research into the causes and treatment of cancer.
The University has for a long time been a leading centre for research in this field.
work noun [uncountable] the studies that have been done on a particular subject:
Faraday is famous for his work on electricity.
A lot of work has been done on hydrogen-powered cars.
Their work had an enormous influence on the study of genetics.
study noun [countable] a piece of work in which someone examines a particular subject in order to find out more about it, and writes about what they have found:
The study showed that 25 percent of adults do not eat breakfast at all, compared with 14 percent in 1961.
Recent studies suggest that our sense of smell is closely linked with the part of the brain that deals with memory.
experiment noun [countable] a scientific test in order to find out what happens when you do something:
They carried out a series of experiments (=they did a series of experiments) in order to try to prove their theory.
Experiments have shown that there is an increased risk of some forms of cancer.
take verb [transitive] to study a subject that you have chosen at school, college etc:
What classes are you taking next semester?
In my final year, I decided to take English and economics.
do verb [transitive] British English informal to study a particular subject at school or university:
I can’t decide whether to do German or Spanish next year.
Did you do computing at school?
major in something phrasal verb American English to study something as your main subject at a college or university:
Diane majored in psychology at the University of Washington.
revise verb [intransitive] British English to study to prepare for an examination:
It’s best to start revising early.
He’s revising for his final exams.
cram verb [intransitive] informal to study very hard and try to learn a lot of information just before an examination:
Everyone’s cramming for their final exams.
do research to study something in a very detailed way, especially in order to discover new information about it:
He does research at Oxford University.
I’m doing research into second language learning.
It’s difficult to do research on humans.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲