DEFINITIONS

trial

[ trahy-uhl, trahyl ]
/ ˈtraɪ əl, traɪl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR trial ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective

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Words nearby trial

triacylglycerol lipase, triad, triad syndrome, triadelphous, triage, trial, trial and error, trial balance, trial balloon, trial by battle, trial by fire

Idioms for trial

    on trial,
    1. undergoing examination before a judicial tribunal.
    2. undergoing a probationary or trial period.

Origin of trial

First recorded in 1520–30; try + -al2

OTHER WORDS FROM trial

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH trial

trail trial

synonym study for trial

2, 3, 5. Trial , experiment , test imply an attempt to find out something or to find out about something. Trial is the general word for a trying of anything: articles sent for ten days' free trial. Experiment is a trial conducted to prove or illustrate the truth or validity of something, or an attempt to discover something new: an experiment in organic chemistry. Test is a more specific word, referring to a trial under approved and fixed conditions, or a final and decisive trial as a conclusion of past experiments: a test of a new type of airplane. 7. See affliction.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for on trial (1 of 2)

trial1
/ (ˈtraɪəl, traɪl) /

noun

verb trials, trialling or trialled

(tr) to test or make experimental use of (something)the idea has been trialled in several schools

Derived forms of trial

trialling, noun

Word Origin for trial

C16: from Anglo-French, from trier to try

British Dictionary definitions for on trial (2 of 2)

trial2
/ (ˈtraɪəl) /

noun grammar

a grammatical number occurring in some languages for words in contexts where exactly three of their referents are described or referred to
(modifier) relating to or inflected for this number

Word Origin for trial

C19: from tri- + -al 1
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

Idioms and Phrases with on trial (1 of 2)

on trial
1

In the process of being tried, especially in a court of law. For example, He would be put on trial for the murder of his wife. [Early 1700s]

2

As a test of something, on probation, as in They said we could take the vacuum cleaner on trial and return it if it was too noisy. [Early 1700s]

Idioms and Phrases with on trial (2 of 2)

trial

In addition to the idioms beginning with trial

  • trial and error
  • trial balloon
  • trial by fire
  • trials and tribulations

also see:

  • on trial
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.