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.
As the top swimmers in the nation start to gear up for the World Championships, the USA Swimming National Championships will serve as a trial run to see which competitors will secure a spot on the national team. Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025 When James moves beyond small trial runs and prepares to lift the Dove paintings, Terri seems to want to know as little as possible. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025 In the one and only trial run, conducted in 1987, emergency squads managed to erect only a fraction of the necessary infrastructure. Jessi Jezewska Stevens, The Dial, 24 Apr. 2025 The World Cup surface, which will be improved with information gathered during this month’s trial run, will be installed in April 2026, about two months before the U.S. team’s World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 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 18 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on trial run

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