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

Quigley had been embedded with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and was a key investigator in the case against the brothers Billy, Billoeum, and Channa Phan, who are on trial for the 2020 murder of Tyrone Phet. —Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2026

Countries like Australia are enforcing social media bans for people under age 16, while Meta is currently on trial for claims of intentionally creating an addictive environment for children on its platforms. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026

Cox was on trial for two counts of possession of child pornography in the second offense earlier in February. —Amy Delaura, The Washington Examiner, 28 Feb. 2026

Additionally, Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship prior to marrying Haakon, is currently on trial in Oslo, Norway on 38 charges, including four counts of rape. —Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 26 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for on trial

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