clinical trial

noun

: a scientifically controlled study of the safety and effectiveness of a therapeutic agent (such as a drug or vaccine) using consenting human subjects

Examples of clinical trial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will likely request further late-stage clinical trials with more participants before evaluating the drug's potential for approval as a treatment for lung cancer. — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Moran plans to put that hypothesis to the test in about a month in a clinical trial for patients with colorectal, breast, and head and neck cancers who are undergoing chemotherapy. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2026 The other initial focus for Thyme Companies will be around improving access and navigation within the clinical trial space, where Shah said enrollment challenges are limiting patient access to beneficial trials and slowing drug development. — Ian Thomas, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026 But the only clinical trial data that Dyson has been able to provide to Allure is a four-week study of 60 subjects, comparing the results of a manual toothbrush and a CameraJet. — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for clinical trial

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of clinical trial was in 1946

Rhymes for clinical trial

See All Rhymes for clinical trial

Browse Nearby Words

clinical thermometer
clinical trial
clinician
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clinical trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clinical%20trial. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

clinical trial

noun
: a scientifically controlled study of the safety and effectiveness of a therapeutic agent (as a drug or vaccine) using consenting human subjects

More from Merriam-Webster on clinical trial

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about clinical trial

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All