Trial Meaning
/ˈtɹaɪəl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn occasion on which a person or thing is tested to find out how well they perform or how suitable they are.
nounAn occasion on which a person or thing is tested to find out how well they perform or how suitable they are., The testing of a product or procedure.
Sentence Examples
Finding a solution that worked was a process of trial and error.
Let's take it for a month on trial.
He refused to comment until after the trial.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The patient agreed to participate in a medical ____ for the new treatment.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new drug is currently undergoing a clinical ____ to see if it is safe and effective for treating the illness today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English trial, triall, from Anglo-Norman trial, triel, from trier (“to pick out, cull”) + -al. More at English try.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"all thy vexations / Were but my trials of thy love and thou / Hast strangely stood the test here"
— c. 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act IV, Scene 1:
"had my powers been less limited, I might have enforced obedience; but as it was, it was but a trial of strength between her and me, in which she generally came off victorious"
— 1847, Anne Brontë, chapter 3, in Agnes Grey, London: Thomas Cautley Newby, page 51:
"Jama saw the sweaty, smelly work as a kind of test that, if passed, would entitle him to see his father, a trial of his worth as a son and as a man."
— 2010, Nadifa Mohamed, Black Mamba Boy, Harper Collins, page 65:
"In both your armies there is many a soul / Shall pay full dearly for this encounter, / If once they join in trial."
— c. 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, Act V, Scene 1:
"as she hath / Been publicly accused, so shall she have / A just and open trial"
— c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The patient agreed to participate in a medical ____ for the new treatment.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new drug is currently undergoing a clinical ____ to see if it is safe and effective for treating the illness today.