trial

/traɪəl/
noun
  1. A formal meeting in a court of law where evidence is presented to decide if someone is guilty of a crime or to settle a legal disagreement.
    • She testified as a witness during the trial.
    • The trial lasted three weeks before the jury reached a verdict.
    • The defendant's lawyer asked for a new trial.
  2. A test of something to see how well it works or to find out if it is suitable.
    • The company offered a free 30-day trial of the streaming service.
    • We are running a trial of the new software in our office.
    • Clinical trials for the vaccine showed promising results.
  3. A difficult or unpleasant experience that tests a person's strength or patience.
    • The long hike through the desert was a real trial.
    • She faced many trials during her recovery from the accident.
    • Losing his job was a terrible trial for the whole family.
  4. A sports competition or test to select players for a team.
    • She passed the swimming trials and joined the club.
    • The coach held trials to choose the starting lineup.
    • He went to soccer trials hoping to make the junior national team.
adjective
  1. Done as a test or experiment to see if something works or is suitable.
    • The trial period for the new employee lasts three months.
    • We signed up for a trial membership at the gym.
    • They released a trial version of the game for free.
verb
  1. To test something to see how well it works or to find out if it is suitable.
    • The company is trialing a new delivery system in several cities.
    • We trialed the recipe with a small group of friends before the party.
    • The school trialed a new teaching method in two classrooms.
Synonyms