a primitive method of determining a person's guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under divine control; escape was usually taken as a sign of innocence
(law) legal proceedings consisting of the judicial examination of issues by a competent tribunal; "most of these complaints are settled before they go to trial"
(law) the determination of a person's innocence or guilt by due process of law; "he had a fair trial and the jury found him guilty"
trying something to find out about it; "a sample for ten days free trial"; "a trial of progesterone failed to relieve the pain"
an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event; "his mother-in-law's visits were a great trial for him"; "life is full of tribulations"; "a visitation of the plague"
(sports) a preliminary competition to determine qualifications; "the trials for the semifinals began yesterday"