Collins English-English Dictionary

trial ['traɪəl]

1. 1. n the act or an instance of trying or proving; test or experiment

2. 2. n (as modifier)

   a trial run

3. 3. n [law] the judicial examination of the issues in a civil or criminal cause by a competent tribunal and the determination of these issues in accordance with the law of the land

4. 4. n the determination of an accused person's guilt or innocence after hearing evidence for the prosecution and for the accused and the judicial examination of the issues involved

5. 5. n (as modifier)

   trial proceedings

6. 6. n an effort or attempt to do something

   we had three trials at the climb

7. 7. n trouble or grief

8. 8. n an annoying or frustrating person or thing

9. 9. n [often plural] a competition for individuals

   sheepdog trials

10. 10. n a motorcycling competition in which the skills of the riders are tested over rough ground

11. 11. n [ceramics] a piece of sample material used for testing the heat of a kiln and its effects

12. 12. vt. [tr] to test or make experimental use of (something)

    the idea has been trialled in several schools

13. 13. vt. [Etymology] C16: from Anglo-French, from trier to try

trial ['traɪəl]

1. 1. n [grammar] a grammatical number occurring in some languages for words in contexts where exactly three of their referents are described or referred to

2. 2. n [modifier] relating to or inflected for this number

3. 3. n [Etymology] C19: from tri- + -al¹