1 : 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 [count] ▪ civil/criminal trials ▪ a murder trial ▪ He did not get/have/receive a fair trial. ▪ a trial by jury = a jury trial ▪ He testified at the trial. [noncount] ▪ He testified at trial. ▪ She is awaiting trial on charges of assault. ▪ She will stand/face trial [=be tried] for murder. [=there will be a trial to decide if she is guilty of murder] ▪ He was arrested but not brought to trial. [=tried; there was never a trial to decide if he was guilty or innocent] ▪ The case never came to trial. [=there was never a trial to make a decision about the case] 2 [count] a : a test of the quality, value, or usefulness of something
▪ Early trials have shown that the treatment has some serious side effects. ▪ 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]
b : 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.
▪ the Olympic trials ▪ (Brit) He was cut from the team after the first trial. [=(US) tryout] 3 [count] a : something (such as a difficult situation or task) that shows how patient, strong, or trusting you are
▪ Recovering from her injury was a real trial of strength.
b : something or someone that is difficult to deal with : an annoying or unpleasant thing or person
▪ I know I was a bit of a trial to my parents when I was a teenager. ▪ Cold winters can be a trial for older people. ▪ The book describes the trials and tribulations [=difficult experiences, problems, etc.] of the colony's earliest settlers. 4 [count] : an event at which animals compete and perform
▪ a horse/dog trial