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 WilliamsSynonyms
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 WebAaron Katersky, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have encouraged Schumer to hold a comprehensive trial.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
Stream the Billy Joel concert special online free with a 7-day free trial to Paramount+ here.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Republicans demand debate No other legislative business can be taken up during the trial, unless all 100 senators agree otherwise.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
Trump’s historic trial has led New York authorities to gird for the risk of violence.
—The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
Biden is looking to gain ground in a key battleground state while Trump spends much of the week in a New York City courtroom for his first criminal trial.
—Chris Megerian, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Simpson asked the California Supreme Court to overturn the judgment, arguing that he had been denied the right to confront evidence and witnesses in the civil trial.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
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
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 senator’s trial is scheduled to begin May 6 in Manhattan federal court.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have encouraged Schumer to hold a comprehensive trial.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
Stream the Billy Joel concert special online free with a 7-day free trial to Paramount+ here.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Republicans demand debate No other legislative business can be taken up during the trial, unless all 100 senators agree otherwise.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
Trump’s historic trial has led New York authorities to gird for the risk of violence.
—The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
Biden is looking to gain ground in a key battleground state while Trump spends much of the week in a New York City courtroom for his first criminal trial.
—Chris Megerian, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Simpson asked the California Supreme Court to overturn the judgment, arguing that he had been denied the right to confront evidence and witnesses in the civil trial.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near trial
Cite this Entry
“Trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trial. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share