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 wayThe controversial case has put the entire health care system on trial.
Examples of on trial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The man whose rise from intern to mogul looked like a hip-hop fairytale has been on trial for charges related to some nightmarish allegations with salacious details about his private life discussed in detail during the proceedings.
—
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
Hodge, 30, had been scheduled to go on trial July 14.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025
The case was finally ordered to go on trial in 2021 with 12 people charged.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025
Meta is currently on trial against the Federal Trade Commission for antitrust claims, and the company doesn’t want to further upset regulators by acquiring Scale AI, multiple people familiar with the matter said.
—Jonathan Vanian,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for on trial
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.
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 5 July 2025
Hodge, 30, had been scheduled to go on trial July 14.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025
The case was finally ordered to go on trial in 2021 with 12 people charged.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025
Meta is currently on trial against the Federal Trade Commission for antitrust claims, and the company doesn’t want to further upset regulators by acquiring Scale AI, multiple people familiar with the matter said.
—Jonathan Vanian,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for on trial
Cite this Entry
“On trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20trial. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share