tryst

American  

[trist, trahyst] / trɪst, traɪst /

noun

1. an appointment to meet at a certain time and place, especially one made somewhat secretly by lovers.

   Synonyms:

   rendezvous, assignation

2. an appointed meeting.

   Synonyms:

   rendezvous, assignation

3. an appointed place of meeting.

   Synonyms:

   rendezvous

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verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly Scot. to make an appointment or arrange a meeting with.

verb (used without object)

1. Chiefly Scot. to make an appointment or agreement.

tryst British  

/ traɪst, trɪst /

noun

1. an appointment to meet, esp secretly

2. the place of such a meeting or the meeting itself

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verb

1. (intr) to meet at or arrange a tryst

Usage

What does tryst mean? A tryst is an appointment made to meet at a specific place and time, especially one made in secret by lovers, as in The two employees arranged a tryst for meeting secretly after work. Tryst is also the meeting itself or the place where the meeting will happen, as in Paul snuck out of his room and headed to the tryst. Uncommonly, tryst can be used as a verb to mean to plan a meeting, as in Romeo and Juliet met outside the balcony and secretly trysted.   Example: The married businessman denied all accusations that he had had a secret tryst with one of his female business partners.

Other Word Forms

• tryster noun

Etymology

Origin of tryst

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English triste “appointed hunting-station,” from Old French, from Germanic; compare Gothic trausti “agreement, arrangement,” akin to Middle English trist “confidence,” Old English tryst (unrecorded); see trow, trust

Explanation

A meeting is when people get together for any reason. But when they are sneaking to meet, notably as secret lovers, it's called a tryst. The origin of the word tryst comes from Middle English, and originally referred to a designated hunting station. Today it has come to refer to mainly romantic meetings, often with a secretive feel to it. (That's appropriate — aren’t we all hunting for love?) The word tryst might also suggest a hint of danger or intrigue. Perhaps the most romantic tryst in literature was the meeting between Romeo and Juliet — and just look where they ended up!

Example Sentences

I didn’t understand it all until my Xiaomi tryst.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Not because of shame, but out of a sense of parental responsibility, said Mr. Kugler, who started attending a gay fathers’ support group at a local Methodist church soon after his tryst with the client.

From New York Times • May 6, 2022

When wildcat ecologist Diana Stasiukynas of the big cat conservation philanthropy Panthera saw videos of the tryst, however, she was concerned.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 24, 2022

Citron, who died in 2007, might have later referred to their tryst as “a passing infatuation,” but in Sarfaty’s hands, it’s one that powerfully reverberates 80 years later.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2021

Swiftly then he told of the haunted road under the mountains, and the dark tryst at Erech, and the great ride thence, ninety leagues and three, to Pelargir on Anduin.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• assignation
• rendezvous