/ ɪkˈsperɪmənt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun [ C , U ]
1.
a scientific test that is done in order to study what happens and to gain new knowledge :
to do / perform / conduct an experiment
proved by experiment
laboratory experiments
Many people do not like the idea of experiments on animals.
2.
experiment (in sth) a new activity, idea or method that you try out to see what happens or what effect it has :
the country's brief experiment in democracy
I've never cooked this before so it's an experiment.
■ verb [ v ] experiment (on sb/sth) | experiment (with sth)
1.
to do a scientific experiment or experiments :
Some people feel that experimenting on animals is wrong.
2.
to try or test new ideas, methods, etc. to find out what effect they have :
He wanted to experiment more with different textures in his paintings.
I experimented until I got the recipe just right.
► ex·peri·ment·er noun
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French , or from Latin experimentum , from experiri try. Compare with experience and expert .