Synonyms

trial by fire

Idioms

A test of one's abilities to perform well under pressure, as in Finishing this buge list of chores in time for the wedding is really a trial by fire. This expression alludes to the medieval practice of determining a person's guilt by having them undergo an ordeal, such as walking barefoot through a fire.

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.

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trial by fire

It’s kind of trial by fire where you’re like, “All right, I’ve never done this before.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

In a diplomatic trial by fire she hosted President Trump in Tokyo only days later, widely seen in Japan as a huge success.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026

"I have no business education. It's all been trial by fire and learning as we go," says Skuse.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026

It was kind of trial by fire as soon as I was born, in a way, on a human, cultural level.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2023

Yet he suspected this was just the beginning of a much larger trial by fire.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023