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
Seven people are on trial in connection with what federal prosecutors called the largest pandemic relief fraud scheme to date.
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Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 4 June 2024
Menendez, who is on trial in New York on corruption charges, could play the role of spoiler if a significant chunk of voters stick with him.
—Steven T. Dennis and Erik Wasson / Bloomberg, TIME, 4 June 2024
The couple remained the children's guardians as Simpson was on trial for the murder of Nicole and Goldman.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 1 June 2024
The story challenges the conviction evidence and has led to a debate about England’s restrictions on trial reporting.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for on trial 
Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 4 June 2024
Menendez, who is on trial in New York on corruption charges, could play the role of spoiler if a significant chunk of voters stick with him.
—Steven T. Dennis and Erik Wasson / Bloomberg, TIME, 4 June 2024
The couple remained the children's guardians as Simpson was on trial for the murder of Nicole and Goldman.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 1 June 2024
The story challenges the conviction evidence and has led to a debate about England’s restrictions on trial reporting.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for on trial
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on trial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“On trial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20trial. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
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