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.
Daniel Penny, a former Marine on trial for the Manhattan subway death of Jordan Neely, now faces a separate civil lawsuit from Neely’s father alleging negligence, assault, and battery as a jury deliberates Penny’s fate in the criminal case. Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Dec. 2024 Lamond, now on trial, has denied committing any crime (The Hill and The Washington Post). Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 4 Dec. 2024 Biden was on trial for three felony charges, and the jury convicted him of all three. Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024 Becker is now on trial in Santa Clara County Superior Court in Morgan Hill for allegedly leaking the report and felony perjury for lying about it under oath. Grace Hase, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for on trial 

Dictionary Entries Near on trial

Cite this Entry

“On trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20trial. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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!