Meaning & use
trialed
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“trialed” is a form of “trial”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of trial: tested something, such as a product, method or system, for a limited time to see whether it works well.
Grammar: Takes an object: the school trialed a new schedule.
Patterns
- trial something
- trial something with someone
The city trialed electric buses on two routes last spring.
Our team trialed the new software for a month before buying it.
The airline trialed a faster boarding method at a single gate.
verbtransitivesport
Past tense and past participle of trial in the sense of testing a person, such as an athlete or performer, to judge whether they are good enough.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually a person: the club trialed three goalkeepers.
Patterns
- trial someone for something
The coach trialed the young striker in two friendly matches.
She was trialed as a lead singer before the band signed her.
Word forms
| present tense | trial |
|---|---|
| third person singular | trials |
| -ing form | trialing |
Common combinations
- trialed a new system
- The hospital trialed a new system for booking appointments.
- successfully trialed
- The method was successfully trialed in three schools.
- trialed in
- The drug was first trialed in a small group of volunteers.
- trialed over
- The scheme was trialed over six months.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tested
- Tested is the broad everyday word, while trialed suggests a planned, limited run before a decision to adopt something.
- piloted
- Piloted stresses running a small version of a larger scheme, whereas trialed can describe any test period.
- tried out
- Tried out is more casual and often personal, while trialed sounds organized and official.
Word family
- trial noun
- a test of something new, or a court hearing
- trialing verb
- the -ing form of trial, in the American spelling
- triallist noun
- a person taking part in a trial, mostly British
Commonly confused: trialed or tried?
trialed vs tried
Tried is the past of try and is far more general; trialed specifically means put something through a formal test period.
Practice
The company ______ the new app with a small group of customers before releasing it to everyone.
Choose one answer.
Trialed means tested for a limited time. 'Triaged' relates to sorting patients by urgency and does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trialed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.