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