by trial and error
2
4.0
- idiom
:
por ensayo y error
- By trial and error, she finally found a way to fix the broken machine.
- learn by trial and error
Basically, I wrote by trial and error.
- Basically, I wrote by trial and error.
- And so to make a mistake by trial and error that someone else has already gone through is reckless and irresponsible.
Examples
-
A major disadvantage is that one must discover a solvent and a temperature range for growth, often by trial and error.
Academic text (1998) -
So Henri set about, by trial and error, mixing the colors Claude required.
Fiction book (1992) -
People do figure it out by trial and error and do game it, of course.
Blog text (23) -
If not, you can figure it out yourself by trial and error.
Blog text (28) -
In the last few years, I have learned to plan my goals primarily by trial and error.
Blog text (23) -
They learn by trial and error.
-
I do these little fix-it jobs by trial and error.
Fiction book (1998) -
Sound before Sight Music is an aural art, originally passed from performer to apprentice through listening and learning by trial and error.
Academic text (2010) -
"By trial and error, we learned to build much lighter and stronger than your drawings specified," explained Alren.
Fiction book (2001) -
We are learning all the time, throughout our lives—merely by trial and error, cause and effect.
Blog text (20)
Synonyms
55
3.8
Trying new ideas or methods to see if they work
23
3.0
A way of solving a problem by trying different solutions until one works
2
4.1
Solving a problem by trying different ways and learning from mistakes until you succeed
2
7.7
To try different ideas to find which ones work
Try many different ideas to find one that works
How Systematic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'by' marks the method and 'trial' (tests) + 'error' (mistakes) transparently describe the process of experimenting and learning from mistakes. This literal logic is common across languages (e.g., 'por ensayo y error') and therefore a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
By trial and error comes from the simple picture of trying one thing after another, where each attempt is a trial and the wrong ones are errors that teach you what not to do. So it means 'finding a solution by testing different ways and learning from mistakes'.