a formal meeting in a court where a judge or a jury decides if someone has broken the law or is responsible for something wrong
The murder suspect will go on trial next Monday.
After a long trial, the jury found her not guilty.
✦ late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, from Old French trier ‘to try’.
a test or period of testing to discover how well something works or whether you like it
The new drug showed promising results in clinical trials.
We are running a one-month free trial of the software.
✦ Sense developed in the 17th century from the earlier legal meaning of “trying out” something.
a difficult experience that tests someone’s patience, strength, or beliefs
Raising five children on a low income was a real trial.
Despite the trials they faced, the team never gave up.
✦ Metaphorical extension from the idea of “testing” one’s character, first recorded in the 1600s.
a competition or race held to choose people for a sports team or event
She won the Olympic swimming trials and qualified for the Games.
The football club invited him to a two-week trial.
✦ Sports sense emerged in the late 19th century, from the idea of “trying out” athletes.
to test something in real conditions over a period of time to see if it works well
The company is trialing a four-day work week.
Scientists will trial the vaccine on volunteers.
✦ verb use dates from the late 19th century, back-formation from the noun.
connected with factories, making things in large quantities, or the people and places involved in this work.
The city built new roads to support its growing industrial area.
Many workers in the region rely on industrial jobs at the car plant.
✦ From industry + -al, first attested in the early 19th century.
