on trial

idiom

: in a situation in which evidence against one is presented in a court to a judge and often a jury to decide if one is guilty of a crime
on trial for murder
She went on trial for possession of drugs.
sometimes used figuratively to indicate that people will think about something in a critical way
The controversial case has put the entire health care system on trial.

Examples of on trial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Karen Read is back on trial, and on this week’s episode of the Hulu-exclusive docuseries Impact x Nightline, ABC News’ Chief National Correspondent Matt Guttman is diving into the latest. Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025 Brooker puts the carnivorous culture of reality TV on trial in this diabolical hour, set in a world where lower-caste citizens pedal stationary bikes to power their surroundings and earn meager currency. Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025 Adams, the first sitting New York City mayor to face criminal indictment in modern history, pleaded not guilty to all the charges and, prior to the Trump DOJ’s intervention, had been scheduled to go on trial on April 21. Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2025 Castaneda, 49, of Brick, New Jersey, is on trial this week. Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for on trial

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Cite this Entry

“On trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20trial. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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