# stand trial

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/stand-trial
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To sustain the trial or examination of a cause; not to give up without trial.

## Examples

- The suspect will stand trial next month.
- After the police found enough evidence, they decided the man must stand trial for his crimes.
- Following a lengthy investigation into the company's financial records, the former executive was ordered to stand trial for fraud.

## Origin

From the verb *stand*, in the sense of undergoing or withstanding something, and the noun *trial*. The phrasing preserves a Middle English usage where the word denoted an act of enduring a physical or legal ordeal.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.