tryout

[ trahy-out ]

/ ˈtraɪˌaʊt /

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See synonyms for tryout on Thesaurus.com

noun

a trial or test to ascertain fitness for some purpose.

Theater. performances of a play in preparation for an official opening, often taking place away from a major theatrical center.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of tryout

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase try out

Words nearby tryout

try line, tryma, try on, try one's hand, try one's patience, tryout, trypaflavine, trypan blue, trypanosoma, trypanosome, trypanosomiasis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tryout in a sentence

Four hours later, they received a brief email from human resources thanking them for their work and announcing that tryouts for next season are “postponed.”
Former cheerleaders settle with Washington Football Team as program’s future is in doubt|Beth Reinhard|February 10, 2021|Washington Post
The competition was mainly for the backup role among Vanecek, Pheonix Copley and Craig Anderson, who is in training camp on a professional tryout agreement.
Capitals set goaltending duo, trim roster ahead of season opener|Samantha Pell|January 11, 2021|Washington Post
Carroll was in his first year as Seattle’s coach and had spent the previous months running so many players through the locker room on extended tryouts you had to imagine they barely knew each other.
Pete Carroll knows 7-9 can be the start of something big|Les Carpenter|December 18, 2020|Washington Post
There’s so many college Division I level kickers in the country, and they’re doing walk-on tryouts.
Placekickers With NFL Dreams Face A Winding, Risky Path|Marisa Ingemi|December 18, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

On the first day of tryouts as a 9-year-old, she tackled a boy to the ground during a drill.
Sam Gordon went viral as a football star. Now she’s suing to give more girls a chance to play.|Roman Stubbs|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
For his tryout, he performed a bit about the three types of people you always see on Law and Order.
Is John Mulaney the Next Seinfeld?|Kevin Fallon|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wiig aced her 2005 SNL tryout for Lorne Michaels by doing impressions of Drew Barrymore, Björk, Jessica Simpson, and Jane Pauley.
Kristen Wiig Blows Up|Bryan Curtis|May 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
But I usually try to be tactful and let amateur singers tryout for me with no one listening, to spare them embarrassment.
The Art of Stage Dancing|Ned Wayburn
The plan has passed from the experimental stage, having been given a thorough tryout in all the schools.
School Credit for Home Work|Lewis Raymond Alderman
Panchito's on edge and we're going to give him a half-mile tryout to-morrow, so I want two stop-watches on him.
The Pride of Palomar|Peter B. Kyne
Janet chuckled over the lines she was to read in the tryout.
Janet Hardy in Hollywood|Ruthe S. Wheeler
You can back out now, and I'll run Smoky without any tryout, and you can take your chance.
Cow-Country|B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for tryout

try out

verb (adverb)

(tr) to test or put to experimental useI'm going to try the new car out

(when intr, usually foll by for) US and Canadian (of an athlete, actor, etc) to undergo a test or to submit (an athlete, actor, etc) to a test to determine suitability for a place in a team, an acting role, etc

noun tryout

mainly US and Canadian a trial or test, as of an athlete or actor

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with tryout

try out

Undergo a qualifying test, as for an athletic team. For example, I'm trying out for the basketball team. [Mid-1900s]

Test or use experimentally, as in They're trying out new diesels, or We're trying out this new margarine. [Late 1800s]