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field trial

American  

noun

  1. a competition among sporting dogs under natural conditions in the field, in which the animals are judged on the basis of excellence of performance in hunting.

  2. a trial of a new product or procedure to determine its efficiency or usefulness in actual performance.


field trial British  

noun

  1. hunting a test of or contest between gun dogs to determine their proficiency and standard of training in retrieving or pointing

  2. (often plural) a test to display performance, efficiency, or durability, as of a vehicle or invention

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of field trial

First recorded in 1840–50


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

If the field trial is successful, Paskett hopes landowners and forest rangers will be able to sign up to the scheme.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

In their field trial, the researchers collected dozens of measurements of the lava in different locations and at different times.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024

In early 2021 Keith and Frank Keutsch, an atmospheric chemist at Harvard, were planning the first SRM field trial.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 20, 2023

After a brief field trial, she was convicted.

From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2023

It has been suggested that all Irish Setters are too headstrong to make really high-class field trial dogs.

From Dogs and All about Them by Robert Leighton

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