Trial | Mean of trial in English Dictionary

/ˈtrajəl/

• Noun
• a formal meeting in a court in which evidence about crimes, disagreements, etc., is presented to a judge and often a jury so that decisions can be made according to the law
1. civil/criminal trials
2. a murder trial
3. He did not get/have/receive a fair trial.
4. a trial by jury = a jury trial
5. He testified at the trial.
6. He testified at trial.
7. She is awaiting trial on charges of assault.
8. She will stand/face trial [=be tried] for murder. [=there will be a trial to decide if she is guilty of murder]
9. He was arrested but not brought to trial. [=tried; there was never a trial to decide if he was guilty or innocent]
10. The case never came to trial. [=there was never a trial to make a decision about the case]
• a test of the quality, value, or usefulness of something
1. Early trials have shown that the treatment has some serious side effects.
2. a clinical trial [=a test in which scientists study how a drug, medical device, etc., affects a group of people in order to see if it is safe and effective]
• a test of someone's ability to do something that is used to see if he or she should join a team, perform in a play, etc.
1. the Olympic trials
2. (Brit) He was cut from the team after the first trial. [=(US) tryout]

• something (such as a difficult situation or task) that shows how patient, strong, or trusting you are
1. Recovering from her injury was a real trial of strength.
• something or someone that is difficult to deal with
1. I know I was a bit of a trial to my parents when I was a teenager.
2. Cold winters can be a trial for older people.
3. The book describes the trials and tribulations [=difficult experiences, problems, etc.] of the colony's earliest settlers.
• an event at which animals compete and perform
1. a horse/dog trial
• in a situation in which evidence against you is presented in a court to a judge and often a jury to decide if you are guilty of a crime
1. He is on trial [=being tried] for murder.
2. She was on trial on charges of drug possession. = She went on trial for possession of drugs.
3. The controversial case has put the entire health-care system on trial. [=has caused people to think about the health-care system in a critical way]
• a process in which you find out the best way to solve a problem, do something, etc., by trying different ways until one is successful
1. We often learn by/through trial and error.
• relating to or used in a test that is done for a period of time to see if something is worth buying, using, etc.
1. trial use of the product
2. If you choose to use the software beyond the 30-day free trial period, you are required to pay for it.
3. I'm using the product on a trial basis. [=for a short period of time]
• Verb
• to test the quality, value, or usefulness of (something)
1. Companies are trialling the new accounting software.