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Definition of experiment noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

experiment

noun
 
/ɪkˈsperɪmənt/
 
/ɪkˈsperɪmənt/
[countable, uncountable]
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  1. a scientific test that is done in order to study what happens and to gain new knowledge
    • to do/perform/conduct an experiment
    • laboratory experiments
    • The results of the experiment were inconclusive.
    • in an experiment The 30 subjects in each experiment were divided into two groups.
    • during an experiment The temperature was kept constant during the experiment.
    • experiment on somebody/something Many people do not like the idea of experiments on animals.
    • experiment with somebody/something The experiment with cells from other species was unsuccessful.
    • by experiment Facts can be established by observation and experiment.
    see also controlled experiment
    Collocations Scientific researchScientific researchTheory
    • formulate/​advance a theory/​hypothesis
    • build/​construct/​create/​develop a simple/​theoretical/​mathematical model
    • develop/​establish/​provide/​use a theoretical/​conceptual framework
    • advance/​argue/​develop the thesis that…
    • explore an idea/​a concept/​a hypothesis
    • make a prediction/​an inference
    • base a prediction/​your calculations on something
    • investigate/​evaluate/​accept/​challenge/​reject a theory/​hypothesis/​model
    Experiment
    • design an experiment/​a questionnaire/​a study/​a test
    • do research/​an experiment/​an analysis
    • make observations/​measurements/​calculations
    • carry out/​conduct/​perform an experiment/​a test/​a longitudinal study/​observations/​clinical trials
    • run an experiment/​a simulation/​clinical trials
    • repeat an experiment/​a test/​an analysis
    • replicate a study/​the results/​the findings
    • observe/​study/​examine/​investigate/​assess a pattern/​a process/​a behaviour
    • fund/​support the research/​project/​study
    • seek/​provide/​get/​secure funding for research
    Results
    • collect/​gather/​extract data/​information
    • yield data/​evidence/​similar findings/​the same results
    • analyse/​examine the data/​soil samples/​a specimen
    • consider/​compare/​interpret the results/​findings
    • fit the data/​model
    • confirm/​support/​verify a prediction/​a hypothesis/​the results/​the findings
    • prove a conjecture/​hypothesis/​theorem
    • draw/​make/​reach the same conclusions
    • read/​review the records/​literature
    • describe/​report an experiment/​a study
    • present/​publish/​summarize the results/​findings
    • present/​publish/​read/​review/​cite a paper in a scientific journal
    Extra Examples
    • Further experiments will be carried out to verify this result.
    • The results were obtained from four independent experiments.
    • proved by experiment
    • If the conditions are not right, the experiment will not work.
    • In these experiments, chilling is necessary.
    • Pavlov's famous experiment with the dog and the dinner bell
    • The appropriate concentration of the drug is best determined by experiment.
    • NASA carried out experiments to ascertain the effects of weightlessness.
    • This pattern emerged clearly in the experiment.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • animal
    • field
    • laboratory
    verb + experiment
    • carry out
    • conduct
    • do
    experiment + verb
    • confirm something
    • demonstrate something
    • find something
    preposition
    • by experiment
    • during an/​the experiment
    • in an/​the experiment
    See full entry
  2. a new activity, idea or method that you try out to see what happens or what effect it has
    • I've never cooked this before so it's an experiment.
    • experiment in something the country’s brief experiment in democracy
    • experiment with something His experiments with narrative form were very influential.
    • as an experiment The system was installed four years ago as an experiment.
    see also thought experiment
    Extra Examples
    • Brazil's unique experiment with alcohol-powered cars
    • The school decided to try an experiment in single-sex teaching.
    • an experiment aimed at cutting road deaths resulting from excessive speeding
    • the country's bold experiment with economic reform
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • animal
    • field
    • laboratory
    verb + experiment
    • carry out
    • conduct
    • do
    experiment + verb
    • confirm something
    • demonstrate something
    • find something
    preposition
    • by experiment
    • during an/​the experiment
    • in an/​the experiment
    See full entry
  3. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French, or from Latin experimentum, from experiri ‘try’. Compare with experience and expert.
See experiment in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee experiment in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
given
adjective
 
 
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