Standard Lemma guide

tryst

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /tɹɪst/
  • /tɹaɪst/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪst
  • rhymes with -aɪst
  • CMU ARPABET: T R IH1 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: T R AY1 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A prearranged meeting or assignation, now especially between lovers to meet at a specific place and time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A mutual agreement, a covenant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A market fair, especially a recurring one held on a schedule, where livestock sales took place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Scotland, historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To make a tryst; to agree to meet at a place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To arrange or appoint (a meeting time etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To keep a tryst, to meet at an agreed place and time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: assignation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rendezvous

8

noun

Meaning 8

a date; usually with a member of the opposite sex

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rendezvous

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: date, appointment, engagement

History

Etymology

From Middle English tryst, trist, from Old French triste, tristre (“waiting place, appointed station in hunting”), probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse treysta (“to make safe, secure”), from traust (“confidence, trust, security, help, shelter, safe abode”), from Proto-Germanic *traustą (“trust, shelter”), from Proto-Indo-European *deru-, *dreu-, *drū- (“to be firm, be solid”). Doublet of trust, see there for more.

Across languages

Translations

74 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مَوْعِد (mawʕid) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Arabic: لِقَاء اَلْحُبّ (liqāʔ al-ḥubb) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Bulgarian: среща (srešta) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Catalan: cita — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Chinese Mandarin: 幽會 /幽会 (yōuhuì) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Czech: dostaveníčko — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Czech: rande — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Dutch: rendez-vous — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Dutch: afspraak — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Dutch: afspraakje — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Finnish: treffit — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Finnish: tärskyt — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • French: rendez-vous — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • French: rendez-vous d'amour — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • French: rendez-vous galant — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Galician: cita — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Galician: encontro — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • German: Stelldichein — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • German: Verabredung — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • German: Rendezvous — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • German: Schäferstündchen — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Greek: συνάντηση (synántisi) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Greek: ραντεβού (rantevoú) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Hungarian: találka — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Hungarian: légyott — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Hungarian: randevú — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Indonesian: ketemuan — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Indonesian: sir-siran — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Italian: trésca — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Italian: appuntamento — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Italian: incontro — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Japanese: 逢い引き (aibiki) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Japanese: デート (dēto) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Korean: 밀회 (milhoe) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Central Kurdish: ژوان (jwan) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Latin: diēs — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Old Norse: þing — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Polish: schadzka — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Polish: randka — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Portuguese: encontro — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Romanian: întâlnire — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Romanian: rendez-vous — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Russian: свида́ние (svidánije) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Russian: встре́ча (vstréča) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Russian: любо́вное свида́ние (ljubóvnoje svidánije) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Sinhalese: හමුවීම (hamuwīma) — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Slovak: rande — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Slovak: schôdzka — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Spanish: cita — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Spanish: encuentro amoroso — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Spanish: cita amorosa — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Turkish: buluşma — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Turkish: randevu — prearranged meeting, now especially between lovers
  • Finnish: välipuhe — (obsolete) a mutual agreement, a covenant
  • German: Vereinbarung — (obsolete) a mutual agreement, a covenant
  • Greek: συμφωνία (symfonía) — (obsolete) a mutual agreement, a covenant
  • Indonesian: perjanjian — (obsolete) a mutual agreement, a covenant
  • Japanese: 約束 (yakusoku) — (obsolete) a mutual agreement, a covenant
  • Russian: соглаше́ние (soglašénije) — (obsolete) a mutual agreement, a covenant
  • Spanish: convenio — (obsolete) a mutual agreement, a covenant
  • Turkish: anlaşma — (obsolete) a mutual agreement, a covenant
  • Bulgarian: уговарям си среща (ugovarjam si srešta) — to agree to meet at a place
  • Finnish: tehdä tärskyt — to agree to meet at a place
  • Finnish: tehdä treffit — to agree to meet at a place
  • Italian: trovarsi — to agree to meet at a place
  • Italian: incontrarsi — to agree to meet at a place
  • Japanese: 合う約束をする (au yakusoku wo suru) — to agree to meet at a place
  • Russian: назначить встречу — to agree to meet at a place
  • Finnish: sopia — to arrange or appoint
  • Japanese: 合う約束をする (au yakusoku wo suru) — to arrange or appoint
  • Finnish: tavata — to meet at an agreed place and time
  • Finnish: treffata — to meet at an agreed place and time
  • Japanese: 逢い引きする (aibiki suru) — to meet at an agreed place and time
  • Russian: прийти на встречу — to meet at an agreed place and time