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); trow, trust

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Though Carter is competent at making the chaos of a rainy match or the ecstasy of a clandestine tryst watchable, his characters feel like sketches with barely any idiosyncrasies.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2023

The tryst didn’t just give some of today’s wolves a black coat—it has also helped them survive in parts of North America where a measleslike virus can run rampant, according to a new study.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 19, 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

She ventured to go back to the tree of the tryst, the mulberry with the shining white fruit.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• assignation
• rendezvous