trial run

noun

: a testing exercise : experiment

Examples of trial run in a Sentence

They will put the software through many trial runs before putting it on the market. We will have to give the machine a trial run.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On one hand, that means pushing the school’s equipment past its limits (which, in the latest trial run, caused an on-campus explosion). Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 June 2025 Team employees moved into the Crimson Park Apartments a half-hour south of the city, in Norman, and team operations were run out of a Sheraton hotel a block from the arena in what became a trial run to gauge the city’s readiness to support a major-league team. Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 June 2025 The tournament is serving as a trial run for FIFA to master the quality of its playing surfaces ahead of the men’s World Cup next year. Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 14 June 2025 But the greater significance of their experiment may be as a trial run for a raft of other biomedical projects planned for low-gravity environments that spur cell growth. Tom Brown, Space.com, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for trial run

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trial run was in 1903

Cite this Entry

“Trial run.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trial%20run. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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