legal proceeding, proceeding, proceedings - (law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked

plea - an answer indicating why a suit should be dismissed

criminal prosecution, prosecution - the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior

demurrer, denial, defence, defense - a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him; "he gave evidence for the defense"

mistrial - a trial that is invalid or inconclusive

retrial - a new trial in which issues already litigated and to which the court has already rendered a verdict or decision are reexamined by the same court; occurs when the initial trial is found to have been improper or unfair due to procedural errors

jurisprudence, law - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"

attempt, effort, try, endeavor, endeavour - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"

assay - a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially an ore or a drug) to determine its components; frequently used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious agents or antibodies etc.

clinical test, clinical trial - a rigorously controlled test of a new drug or a new invasive medical device on human subjects; in the United States it is conducted under the direction of the FDA before being made available for general clinical use

double blind - a test procedure in which the identity of those receiving the intervention is concealed from both the administrators and the subjects until after the test is completed; designed to reduce or eliminate bias in the results

preclinical phase, preclinical test, preclinical trial - a laboratory test of a new drug or a new invasive medical device on animal subjects; conducted to gather evidence justifying a clinical trial

audition, tryout - a test of the suitability of a performer

field trial - a test of young hunting dogs to determine their skill in pointing and retrieving

try-on, trying on, fitting - trying on clothes to see whether they fit

Ministry of Transportation test, MOT test, MOT - a compulsory annual test of older motor vehicles for safety and exhaust fumes

pilot program, pilot project - activity planned as a test or trial; "they funded a pilot project in six states"

Snellen test - a test of visual acuity using a Snellen chart

athletics, sport - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

contest, competition - an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants

legal proceeding, proceeding, proceedings - (law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked

court-martial - a trial by court martial

trial by ordeal, ordeal - 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

Scopes trial - a highly publicized trial in 1925 when John Thomas Scopes violated a Tennessee state law by teaching evolution in high school; Scopes was prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan and defended by Clarence Darrow; Scopes was convicted but the verdict was later reversed

show trial - a trial held for show; the guilt of the accused person has been decided in advance

jurisprudence, law - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"

experimentation, experiment - the testing of an idea; "it was an experiment in living"; "not all experimentation is done in laboratories"

field test, field trial - a test of the performance of some new product under the conditions in which it will be used

alpha test - (computer science) a first test of an experimental product (such as computer software) carried out by the developer

beta test - (computer science) a second test of an experimental product (such as computer software) carried out by an outside organization

road test - a test to insure that a vehicle is roadworthy

trial balloon - a test of public opinion

affliction - a cause of great suffering and distress

fire - a severe trial; "he went through fire and damnation"

attempt, effort, try, endeavor, endeavour - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"