tryout

1 of 2

noun

try·​out ˈtrī-ˌau̇t 

: an experimental performance or demonstration: such as

a

: a test of the ability (as of an athlete or actor) to fill a part or meet standards

b

: a performance of a play prior to its official opening to determine response and discover weaknesses

try out

2 of 2

verb

tried out; trying out; tries out

intransitive verb

: to compete for a position especially on an athletic team or for a part in a play

Examples of tryout in a Sentence

Noun

Open tryouts for the team are next Monday.

Verb

want to try out my new skateboard?

tried out his skill at archery

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Barby’s road to tryouts in 2024 was made even more complicated by a shocking health scare. —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 18 June 2025

There is likely to be some sort of tryout to figure out the best team possible, and there are likely to be many NFL players who are going to try to participate in the Olympics. —James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025

Verb

For Beautiful Chaos, the group’s studio process started with the girls being played songs and offered pre-selected verses and parts to try out. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025

Job candidates are getting lost in a flood of applications as AI supercharges hiring, so hiring platform Greenhouse is trying out a new tool for job seekers that borrows from an unlikely source: dating apps. —Brit Morse, Fortune, 20 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1909, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tryout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

tryout

1 of 2 noun

try·​out ˈtrī-ˌau̇t 

: a test of the ability (as of an actor or athlete) to fill a part or meet standards

try out

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)trī-ˈau̇t

: to take part in a tryout especially for a position on an athletic team or a part in a play