1
: the formal examination before a competent tribunal of the matter in issue in a civil or criminal cause in order to determine such issue
2
a
: the action or process of trying or putting to the proof : test
b
: a preliminary contest (as in a sport)
3
a
: a tryout or experiment to test quality, value, or usefulness compare clinical trial
b
: one of a number of repetitions of an experiment
4
: a test of faith, patience, or stamina through subjection to suffering or temptation
broadly
: a source of vexation or annoyance
5
: attempt
1
: of, relating to, or used in a trial
2
: made or done as a test or experiment
3
: used or tried out in a test or experiment
trialed or trialled; trialing or trialling; trials
: to test the functioning, value, or usefulness of (something)
In 2014, Germany trialed a copyright law granting publishers licensing fees for quoted content.—
Kim Willsher
Kim WillsherSo a raft of demonstration projects around the world have trialled "smart grids" that deal with electricity flowing in two directions—accommodating individuals selling power back to the utility company operation …—Caroline Williams
Caroline Williams
Synonyms
Examples of trial in a Sentence
Noun
He did not get a fair trial.
He testified at the trial.
She is awaiting trial on charges of assault.
Early trials have shown that the treatment has some serious side effects.
Recovering from her injury was a real trial of strength.
I know I was a bit of a trial to my parents when I was a teenager.
Cold winters can be a trial for older people.
Adjective
trial use of the product
If you choose to use the software beyond the 30-day free trial period, you are required to pay for it.
Recent Examples on the WebDavid Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Sign up for a seven-day free trial from Fubo or a five-day trial from DirecTV Stream ahead of the game to watch it for free.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
The two sides are sparring over whether Tesla can call an Apple engineering manager as a witness for a two-month trial set to start next week in state court in San Jose.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Lawyers for Trump had cited a 1978 statute known as the Presidential Records Act in demanding that the case, one of four against the presumptive Republican nominee, be tossed out before trial.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Tesla has prevailed in two previous California trials over Autopilot — the second one involving a fatal crash — in which the driver-assistance system was blamed after the vehicles veered off the road.
—Rachel Graf, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Early in her political career, Vice President Kamala Harris compared being on the trail to the rigors of being a lawyer during an extended trial.
—Michael D. Shear Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Smith confessed to his roommate and a neighbor before his arrest, according to their testimony at his trial.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Less than a year earlier, Elliott had advised the council to reject the mayor’s plan to buy out the Ash Street and Civic Center Plaza leases and said the case should proceed to trial.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
David Jackson, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
Prosecutors described his reaching out to potential witnesses in his upcoming trial as witness tampering, and said his use of a VPN to watch football violated pre-trial agreements.
—Byleo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 26 Sep. 2023
In addition to setting the date for the trial to commence, Cannon also laid out pre-trial deadlines, including proceedings conducted under the Classified Information Procedures Act, a federal law that governs how classified information will be used in the case.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 21 July 2023
The lawyers argued that no trial date be set for the time being, while the two sides work through pre-trial motions and hearings.
—Devlin Barrett, Anchorage Daily News, 11 July 2023
As a result of pre-trial depositions, hundreds of texts, emails and documents have come out and the book will seek to create a chronological narrative around them.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 13 Apr. 2023
In other cases, ICE has detained and deported witnesses mid-trial, frustrating prosecutors.
—José F. Batista, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Apr. 2023
Here's what comes next: The discovery process During Trump's arraignment, the two parties discussed a schedule for pre-trial proceedings, including when information collected by prosecutors will be turned over to Trump's legal team and potential motions to be filed.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2023
More than 7,000 of those incarcerated are pre-trial defendants and presumed innocent until convicted.
—Kennedy Sessions, Chron, 31 Mar. 2023
Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Faced with a lack of funds to pay for essential tourist facilities such as new parking areas and additional waste management resources, Lofoten officials have been given the green light to trial a tourist tax.
—David Nikel, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
When Bima meets Marco, a professional soccer player from Bali Royal FC who is on the brink of retirement from his football career, Bima’s once unachievable dream becomes a reality because he is given a rare chance to trial with a youth academy in Europe.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024
This year, the city will trial a new day-tripper entrance fee of €5 per person ($5.44) during 29 peak days between April and mid-July.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024
Once Powell pleaded guilty, Chesebro had been set to continue to trial on his own.
—TIME, 20 Oct. 2023
The Floyd County judge dismissed the case at the request of the district attorney, who decided not to bring Joey Watkins to trial again after his initial conviction was vacated.
—CBS News, 25 Sep. 2023
To both trial its technology and scale its user base, Worldcoin conducted initial field tests across 27 countries—from Norway and Chile, to Kenya and Sudan.
—WIRED, 28 July 2023
The pop-up will become a testing ground for the brand to trial its product assortment and to test market fit.
—Tiffany Lung, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022
Noun
The bust ensnared professional athletes, including former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, who has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Sign up for a seven-day free trial from Fubo or a five-day trial from DirecTV Stream ahead of the game to watch it for free.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
The two sides are sparring over whether Tesla can call an Apple engineering manager as a witness for a two-month trial set to start next week in state court in San Jose.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Lawyers for Trump had cited a 1978 statute known as the Presidential Records Act in demanding that the case, one of four against the presumptive Republican nominee, be tossed out before trial.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Tesla has prevailed in two previous California trials over Autopilot — the second one involving a fatal crash — in which the driver-assistance system was blamed after the vehicles veered off the road.
—Rachel Graf, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Early in her political career, Vice President Kamala Harris compared being on the trail to the rigors of being a lawyer during an extended trial.
—Michael D. Shear Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Smith confessed to his roommate and a neighbor before his arrest, according to their testimony at his trial.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Less than a year earlier, Elliott had advised the council to reject the mayor’s plan to buy out the Ash Street and Civic Center Plaza leases and said the case should proceed to trial.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2024
Adjective
That trial may be pushed back for pre-trial appeals by Trump.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
Prosecutors described his reaching out to potential witnesses in his upcoming trial as witness tampering, and said his use of a VPN to watch football violated pre-trial agreements.
—Byleo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 26 Sep. 2023
In addition to setting the date for the trial to commence, Cannon also laid out pre-trial deadlines, including proceedings conducted under the Classified Information Procedures Act, a federal law that governs how classified information will be used in the case.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 21 July 2023
The lawyers argued that no trial date be set for the time being, while the two sides work through pre-trial motions and hearings.
—Devlin Barrett, Anchorage Daily News, 11 July 2023
As a result of pre-trial depositions, hundreds of texts, emails and documents have come out and the book will seek to create a chronological narrative around them.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 13 Apr. 2023
In other cases, ICE has detained and deported witnesses mid-trial, frustrating prosecutors.
—José F. Batista, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Apr. 2023
Here's what comes next: The discovery process During Trump's arraignment, the two parties discussed a schedule for pre-trial proceedings, including when information collected by prosecutors will be turned over to Trump's legal team and potential motions to be filed.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2023
More than 7,000 of those incarcerated are pre-trial defendants and presumed innocent until convicted.
—Kennedy Sessions, Chron, 31 Mar. 2023
Verb
While addressing the Alaska House and Senate transportation committees on March 19th, robot handler Ryan Marlow said the agency opted to trial Aurora after plans to spray repellents like grape juice from flying drones were judged too risky.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Faced with a lack of funds to pay for essential tourist facilities such as new parking areas and additional waste management resources, Lofoten officials have been given the green light to trial a tourist tax.
—David Nikel, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
When Bima meets Marco, a professional soccer player from Bali Royal FC who is on the brink of retirement from his football career, Bima’s once unachievable dream becomes a reality because he is given a rare chance to trial with a youth academy in Europe.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024
This year, the city will trial a new day-tripper entrance fee of €5 per person ($5.44) during 29 peak days between April and mid-July.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024
Once Powell pleaded guilty, Chesebro had been set to continue to trial on his own.
—TIME, 20 Oct. 2023
The Floyd County judge dismissed the case at the request of the district attorney, who decided not to bring Joey Watkins to trial again after his initial conviction was vacated.
—CBS News, 25 Sep. 2023
To both trial its technology and scale its user base, Worldcoin conducted initial field tests across 27 countries—from Norway and Chile, to Kenya and Sudan.
—WIRED, 28 July 2023
The pop-up will become a testing ground for the brand to trial its product assortment and to test market fit.
—Tiffany Lung, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing trial
Dictionary Entries Near trial
Cite this Entry
“Trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trial. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
trial
1 of 2 noun
tri·al
ˈtrī(-ə)l 
1
: the action or process of testing or trying
2
: the hearing and judgment of a case in court
3
: a test of faith, patience, or strength
4
: an experiment to test quality, value, or usefulness
trial
2 of 2 adjective1
: of, relating to, or used in a trial
2
: made or done as a test or experiment
a trial run
Medical Definition
trial
noun
tri·al
ˈtrī(-ə)l
1
: a tryout or experiment to test quality, value, or usefulness see clinical trial
2
: one of a number of repetitions of an experiment
More from Merriam-Webster on trial
Nglish: Translation of trial for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of trial for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about trial
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