show trial
noun
: a trial (as of political opponents) in which the verdict is rigged and a public confession is often extracted
Examples of show trial in a Sentence
They were forced to confess their guilt in public show trials.
Recent Examples on the Web
Records show trials had been scheduled and delayed repeatedly over the years, most recently on March 31.
—
Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 13 July 2025
The Allied war crimes court at Nuremberg included among its presiding judges one of the Soviets who had conducted Stalin’s show trials.
—Max Hastings, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013
The Ergenekon and Sledgehammer show trials of 2008 and 2010—which used fabricated and planted evidence to frame senior military officers for attempting to overthrow the government—are only the most infamous examples of shadowy endeavors that began much earlier.
—John Butler, Foreign Affairs, 2 Aug. 2016
Nearly 700,000 people were executed in Stalin’s 1937-38 Great Terror amid show trials and purges of his real and perceived enemies.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
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Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 13 July 2025
The Allied war crimes court at Nuremberg included among its presiding judges one of the Soviets who had conducted Stalin’s show trials.
—Max Hastings, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013
The Ergenekon and Sledgehammer show trials of 2008 and 2010—which used fabricated and planted evidence to frame senior military officers for attempting to overthrow the government—are only the most infamous examples of shadowy endeavors that began much earlier.
—John Butler, Foreign Affairs, 2 Aug. 2016
Nearly 700,000 people were executed in Stalin’s 1937-38 Great Terror amid show trials and purges of his real and perceived enemies.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for show trial
Cite this Entry
“Show trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/show%20trial. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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