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

The French knew about some of Stalin’s excesses—the show trials, the labor camps, the bloody purges of those who strayed from the party line. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026

Last week’s City Council 9-hour hearing on a Central Park horse carriage ban was either a sideshow or a show trial. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026

But that also eradicates a crucial option - to mount a show trial and scapegoat him for all the ills of his rule, thus absolving others. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

On the Criterion Channel, known for showcasing classics and discoveries from around the world, Two Prosecutors will be accompanied by The Trial, a 2018 documentary that Loznitsa assembled from footage of a 1930 Stalinist show trial. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for show trial

• dial
• rial
• thiol
• vial
• denial
• mistrial
• posttrial
• pretrial
• retrial
• sensorial