tryout
Americannoun
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tryouts
plural
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a trial or test to ascertain fitness for some purpose.
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Theater. performances of a play in preparation for an official opening, often taking place away from a major theatrical center.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tryout
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase try out
Vocabulary lists containing tryout
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:
“That’s hard to do. But at many of these places, you can do a tryout and stay in a unit for a week,” said Horowitz.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
But on the day it mattered most, she flubbed her tryout and failed to make the team.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
The show is inspired by a 2022 short video featuring an undercover Eli Manning as a walk-on at a Penn State football tryout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Outside the Dream Stage tryout room, Jaelyn Jones waits with bated breath.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2025
The head coach, Coach Warner, was holding a three-day tryout camp for the football team before the start of the school year.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
But, according to the coach, it hasn't deterred hopefuls from applying, and this year was the first year the team's considered tryouts from people who have seen America's Sweethearts.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Sitting in the center of the room, personally overseeing the tryouts, Wembanyama conducted a series of unusually loud job interviews—listening to chants, gauging volume and pressure-testing die-hard levels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
“But honestly, I’m home. My daughter had tryouts yesterday. My nephew had a basketball game. My son has a game coming up on the 12th.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
WWE also held a tryouts event in London over the weekend for aspiring stars to show off their skills in front of the company.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025
“I am happy to announce that I will be holding tryouts at one thirty,” Ms. Udell continued.
From "George" by Alex Gino
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
