1. The act of testing something
   "he called each flip of the coin a new trial"; "in the experimental trials the amount of carbon was measured separately";
   - test, run
    
2. The act of undergoing testing
   "candidates must compete in a trial of skill";
   - test
    
3. (law) the determination of a person's innocence or guilt by due process of law
   "he had a fair trial and the jury found him guilty"; "most of these complaints are settled before they go to trial"
    
4. A trial of something to see if or how it works
   "a sample for ten days free trial"; "a trial of progesterone failed to relieve the pain"; "The company performed a trial run of the new software before its official launch";
   - trial run, test, tryout, dummy run [Brit, informal]
    
5. (sport) a preliminary competition to determine qualifications
   "the trials for the semifinals began yesterday"
    
6. An annoying, frustrating or catastrophic event
   "his mother-in-law's visits were a great trial for him";
   - tribulation

1. Attempt to determine the quality, value, or truth of something by testing or experiment
   - test, prove, try, try out, examine, essay
    
2. Test or introduce something on a small scale before wider implementation
   "The company trialed the new system in three stores";
   - pilot

Derived forms: trials, trialled, trialing, trialling

Type of: affliction, attempt, competition, contest, effort, endeavor [US], endeavour [Brit, Cdn], evaluate, experiment, experimentation, judge, legal proceeding, pass judgment, proceeding, proceedings, try

Encyclopedia: Trial