Meaning & use
simulation
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A model, often run on a computer, that copies how a real situation or system behaves so people can study it or practice without real risk.
Grammar: Countable for one model (a flight simulation); uncountable for the technique (training by simulation).
Patterns
- a simulation of something
- run a simulation
- by simulation
The engineers ran a simulation of the bridge in strong wind before building anything.
Student nurses practice emergencies in a hospital simulation with lifelike dummies.
Climate scientists compare each simulation with past temperature records.
nouncountable or uncountableformal
The act of pretending to have a feeling, illness or quality that is not real, or a pretend version of it.
Grammar: Usually followed by of: a simulation of calm.
Patterns
- a simulation of something
His simulation of surprise fooled nobody at the party.
The actor's simulation of grief looked real from the back row.
Faking a limp is a poor simulation of an injury.
Word forms
| plural | simulations |
|---|
Common combinations
- run a simulation
- The team will run a simulation to see how the system copes with heavy traffic.
- computer simulation
- A computer simulation predicted where the flood water would spread.
- flight simulation
- New pilots log hours of flight simulation before they touch a real plane.
- simulation software
- The company sells simulation software for testing car crashes.
- realistic simulation
- The museum offers a realistic simulation of life on a space station.
Synonyms and how they differ
- model
- A model is any representation of something, while a simulation is specifically a model that is run or acted out over time to show behavior.
- imitation
- Imitation stresses copying the look or manner of something, whereas simulation suggests a controlled reproduction for study or training.
- mock-up
- A mock-up is usually a physical, non-working copy, but a simulation actually behaves like the original.
- pretense
- Pretense is a person's false show of a feeling, and fits only the second sense of simulation.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: simulation or stimulation?
simulation vs stimulation
Stimulation means making something more active or excited, as in stimulation of the brain. Simulation means imitating something real.
Practice
Before the real launch, the engineers tested the rocket's software in a ___ that copied flight conditions.
Choose one answer.
A simulation is an artificial copy of real conditions used for testing. Stimulation sounds similar but means arousing activity, so it does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “simulation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.