on trial
25
3.8
- idiom
- Many companies offer their products on trial to let customers evaluate their effectiveness.
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeSo why is my sexuality being the thing that's on trial?
- So why is my sexuality being the thing that's on trial?
- But yeah, I, I was on, I felt like I was on trial.
- She's, you know, there was still trying to sort of, it's like I was on trial again, even though I'd done them for years.
Examples
-
The new software is currently on trial to assess its performance before widespread adoption.
-
This app is on trial to determine if it meets our needs for project management.
-
Who is on trial here?
-
My client's not on trial.
-
These two Marines are on trial for their lives.
-
Amenpanufer is on trial for his life.
-
He happens to be on trial for murder.
-
Whatever the reason, you're on trial for your lives.
-
He was placed on trial with the other military leaders.
-
The second man charged, Charles Monroe Butler Jr., goes on trial August 2.
Academic text (1999)
How Evaluated
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'being tested' is directly derivable from combining 'trial' (a testing process) with the preposition 'on' indicating being in that state or condition; a learner who knows both words will naturally infer 'on trial' = 'undergoing a test'. This preposition + noun composition is common cross-linguistically and follows a standard English pattern, so it is immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.
Etymology
On trial comes from the image of a person in court: they are put on trial before a judge to be tested and judged. So when something is 'on trial' today, it means it is 'being tested' to see if it works or fits.