on trial
Idioms-
In the process of being tried, especially in a court of law. For example, He would be put on trial for the murder of his wife . [Early 1700s]
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As a test of something, on probation, as in They said we could take the vacuum cleaner on trial and return it if it was too noisy . [Early 1700s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By the time Blake went on trial, nearly a decade had passed since Simpson’s acquittal for double homicide, but for prosecutors and detectives, the humiliation was fresh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Mr. Carroll has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in August.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Two Angolans, sports journalist Amor Carlos Tomé and political activist Francisco Oliveira, were also on trial on similar charges for their alleged part in the Russian-linked influence operation, which they both denied.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Gartshore, 27, denies a charge of culpable homicide, along with other charges, and is on trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
They did not place me on trial because they did not know how to give names to what they feared in me.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
