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trial and error
—Related forms
–noun
| experimentation or investigation in which various methods or means are tried and faulty ones eliminated in order to find the correct solution or to achieve the desired result or effect. |
[Origin: 1800–10
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] —Related forms
trial-and-error, adjective
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
trial and error
To learn more about trial and error visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| trial and error
n. A method of reaching a correct solution or satisfactory result by trying out various means or theories until error is sufficiently reduced or eliminated. tri'al-and-er'ror (trī'əl-ən-ěr'ər, trīl'-) adj. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| trial and error | |
noun | |
| experimenting until a solution is found |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
trial and error
the trying of various methods, alternatives etc until the right one happens to appear or be found
Example: They didn't know how to put in a central-heating system, but they managed it by trial and error.
See also: on trial, trial, trial run, "trial and error" in any languageExample: They didn't know how to put in a central-heating system, but they managed it by trial and error.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
trial and error
To “proceed by trial and error” is to experiment, rejecting what does not work and adopting what does.
[Chapter:] Idioms
| The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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