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.
New ideas may get trial runs in spring training, but an innovation can’t just help a few players. John Cairney, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2025 Getting ideas, doing trial runs and scaling it to apply to the whole house has made progress very slow. Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025 The 26-year-old has already had a trial run at the captaincy. Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025 New shielding technology from NASA that protects against damaging lunar dust just passed a trial run on the moon's surface, marking an important milestone in the agency's lunar aspirations. Julian Dossett, Space.com, 3 Apr. 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 30 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on trial run

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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