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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

This one is about the relationship between a journalist and his subject, a man on trial for murdering his wife and his two children. —

The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024 Now, seven years later, 52-year-old Richard Allen is on trial for German and Williams’ murder. —

Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024 Watch on Deadline At the end of the episode, viewers find out that Marcus is on trial not for anything related to the software discrepancy. —

Katie Campione, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2024 Three Memphis officers on trial in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols were convicted on charges related to the fatal 2023 beating but were acquitted on the most serious counts. —

Liam Quinn, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for on trial