noun
trial
TRY-uhl/ˈtraɪəl/
A court proceeding to examine evidence and decide a case.
The lawyer questions a witness during the trial.
Etymology
The verb behind trial meant both picking out and trying or examining. The legal noun makes that examination a formal court process for determining guilt, innocence, or the rightness of a claim.
In context
The jury at trial will decide guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
More examples
- The judge postponed the trial until Monday.
- Several witnesses testified at the trial.
- The case never went to trial.
Forms
trial · trials
Similar words
- hearing
- Usually more limited in scope than a full trial.
- proceeding
- Broader; covers many formal legal processes besides trials.