tryout
Americannoun
-
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.
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.
“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
With everything that’s riding on this tryout, just the thought makes me nervous.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
