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.
Three former Tennessee police officers on trial in the January 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were acquitted Wednesday of all state charges, including second-degree murder. Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2025 Officials: Moore planned kidnapping to disrupt divorce trial The scheme to kidnap and harm Sherman started when Moore found out the prosecutor's office was investigating several bomb threats that were called into courthouses where Moore was scheduled to be on trial, the indictment says. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 May 2025 Netanyahu, who is on trial for a series of corruption charges, has not been directly implicated in the scandal. Natalie Melzer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025 Because that directly violated the no contact order, Hurd was arrested for stalking and aggravated harassment, and went back on trial. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for on trial

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“On trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20trial. Accessed 12 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!