1. Experimenting until a solution is found
   "The inventor used trial and error to perfect his design"

1. Relating to solving problems by experience rather than theory
   "they adopted a trial-and-error procedure"
    
2. Trying out various means or theories until error is satisfactorily reduced or eliminated
   "he argued that all learning is a trial-and-error process that resembles biological evolution"

See also: empiric, empirical, heuristic

Type of: experiment, experimentation

Encyclopedia: Trial and error