- the systematic study of the nature and behaviour of the material and physical universe, based on observation, experiment, and measurement, and the formulation of laws to describe these facts in general terms
- the knowledge so obtained or the practice of obtaining it
- any particular branch of this knowledge: the pure and applied sciences
- any body of knowledge organized in a systematic manner
- skill or technique
- archaic knowledge
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sci•ence /ˈsaɪəns/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Biology a system of knowledge about the physical world, explaining or describing what it is and how it works in general laws, gained by observing, experimenting, and testing theories:[uncountable]Science is concerned with dicovering knowledge about the world by making tests and proposing general laws to account for what happens.
- [uncountable] the knowledge gained by this system.
- Biologya branch of this study, such as any of the branches of natural science: [countable]the social and natural sciences.[uncountable]You need one more course in science to graduate.
- any skill that shows ability to use facts or principles: [uncountable]the science of throwing a good curveball.[countable]Is her ability to make good decisions an art or a science?
sci•ence
(sī′əns),USA pronunciation n.
- Biologya branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws:the mathematical sciences.
- Biologysystematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.
- Biologyany of the branches of natural or physical science.
- systematized knowledge in general.
- knowledge, as of facts or principles;
knowledge gained by systematic study. - a particular branch of knowledge.
- skill, esp. reflecting a precise application of facts or principles;
proficiency.
- Latin scientia knowledge, equivalent. to scient- (stem of sciēns), present participle of scīre to know + -ia -ia
- Middle French
- Middle English 1300–50
- 7. art, technique, method, discipline.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
science /ˈsaɪəns/ n
'science' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Abbe
- Abelson
- academic
- academy
- Adams
- Addams
- Adorno
- Adrian
- Agassiz
- Agnesi
- agriculture
- agrobiology
- agronomy
- Aiken
- Airy
- Aitken
- Aldiss
- al-Farabi
- Alfvén
- alien
- Alvarez
- Ambartsumian
- anaesthetics
- anatomy
- Anaximander
- Anderson
- Andrews
- android
- Anfinsen
- Angell
- animal husbandry
- ANZAAS
- Apollonius of Perga
- Arber
- Archimedes
- architecture
- architectonics
- Aristarchus of Samos
- Arrhenius
- artillery
- Aston
- astronautics
- Auer
- aviation
- avionics
- Axelrod
- BA
- Babinet
- baccalaureate
- bachelor