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Meaning & use

tryouts

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈtraɪaʊts/
US/ˈtraɪaʊts/

“tryouts” is a form of “tryout”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meaning

  1. nounusually plural

    A test or competition to see who is good enough to join a team, play a role, or take part in something.

    Grammar: Often used in the plural: 'the tryouts are next week'. The singular 'tryout' is common before a noun or when referring to one session.

    Patterns

    • tryouts for something
    • hold tryouts
    • go to tryouts
    • make the team at tryouts

    Tryouts for the school basketball team start on Monday.

    She was nervous before the tryouts but performed well.

    The theater will hold tryouts for the spring play next month.

Word forms

singulartryout

Common combinations

tryouts for the team
Tryouts for the swim team are on Saturday.
hold tryouts
The coach will hold tryouts next week.
go to tryouts
Are you going to tryouts after school?
make it through tryouts
Only ten players made it through tryouts.

Synonyms and how they differ

audition
An audition is usually for a performing role in theater, film, or music, while tryouts are more common for sports teams.
trial
A trial can be a test of ability, but it is more general and often used for jobs or products; tryouts are specifically for joining a group or team.

Word family

try out phrasal verb
To take part in a tryout; to test something.

Commonly confused: tryouts or tryout?

tryouts vs tryout

The singular form refers to one test or session; the plural 'tryouts' often refers to the whole event or series of sessions.

Practice

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