(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a formal meeting in a law court, at which a judge and jury listen to evidence and decide whether a person is guilty of a crime.
New evidence showed the police lied at the ~...
He’s awaiting ~ in a military court on charges of plotting against the state...
They believed that his case would never come to ~.
N-VAR
2.
A ~ is an experiment in which you test something by using it or doing it for a period of time to see how well it works. If something is on ~, it is being tested in this way.
They have been treated with this drug in clinical ~s...
The robots have been on ~ for the past year...
N-VAR
3.
If someone gives you a ~ for a job, or if you are on ~, you do the job for a short period of time to see if you are suitable for it.
He had just given a ~ to a young woman who said she had previous experience...
N-COUNT: usu sing, also on N
4.
If you refer to the ~s of a situation, you mean the unpleasant things that you experience in it.
...the ~s of adolescence.
N-COUNT: usu pl, N of n
5.
In some sports or outdoor activities, ~s are a series of contests that test a competitor’s skill and ability.
He has been riding in horse ~s for less than a year.
...Dovedale Sheepdog Trials.
N-COUNT: usu pl, supp N
6.
If you do something by ~ and error, you try several different methods of doing it until you find the method that works properly.
Many drugs were found by ~ and error...
PHRASE: oft by/through PHR
7.
If someone is on ~, they are being tried in a court of law.
He is currently on ~ accused of serious drugs charges...
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v
8.
If you say that someone or something is on ~, you mean that they are in a situation where people are observing them to see whether they succeed or fail.
The President will be drawn into a damaging battle in which his credentials will be on ~.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v
9.
If someone stands ~, they are tried in court for a crime they are accused of.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR for n