"trial by fire" meaning in English

See trial by fire in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-trial by fire.ogg [Australia] Forms: trials by fire [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun|trials by fire}} trial by fire (plural trials by fire)
  1. A test in which a person is exposed to flames in order to assess their truthfulness, commitment, courage etc. Translations (test in which a person is exposed to flames): vuurproef [feminine] (Dutch), tulikoe (Finnish), épreuve du feu [feminine] (French), Feuerprobe [feminine] (German), prova de fogo [feminine] (Portuguese), prueba de fuego [feminine] (Spanish), eldprov [neuter] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-trial_by_fire-en-noun-BjdQ3JSI Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 51 25 24 Disambiguation of 'test in which a person is exposed to flames': 85 13 2
  2. A situation in which a soldier or other combatant faces the discharge of opposing weapons, as a test of their fortitude. Translations (situation in which a soldier or other combatant faces the discharge of opposing weapons): vuurdoop [masculine] (Dutch), tulikoe (Finnish), épreuve du feu [feminine] (French)
    Sense id: en-trial_by_fire-en-noun-QAZFhHhX Disambiguation of 'situation in which a soldier or other combatant faces the discharge of opposing weapons': 17 81 2
  3. (idiomatic, by extension) Any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance or resolve. Tags: broadly, idiomatic Translations (idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve): অগ্নিপরীক্ষা (ogniporikkha) (Bengali), vuurproef [feminine] (Dutch), vuurdoop [masculine] (Dutch), tulikoe (Finnish), épreuve par le feu [feminine] (French), épreuve du feu [feminine] (French), Feuerprobe [feminine] (German), अग्निपरीक्षा (agniprīkṣā) (Hindi), próba ognia [feminine] (Polish), prova de fogo [feminine] (Portuguese), prueba de fuego [feminine] (Spanish), eldprov [neuter] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-trial_by_fire-en-noun-kpSDOAnV Disambiguation of "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve": 5 5 90
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: baptism by fire, trial by combat, crucible

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for trial by fire meaning in English (8.1kB)

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    {
      "form": "trials by fire",
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    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 100",
      "word": "baptism by fire"
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        {
          "ref": "1863, George Eliot, chapter 63, in Romola",
          "text": "“[I]t seems to me Fra Francesco is the greater hero, for he offers to enter the fire for the truth, though he is sure the fire will burn him.” . . .\n“It is true, Messer Segretario,” said the shopkeeper, with subdued impatience. “But will you favour us by interpreting the Latin?”\n“Assuredly,” said Tito. “It does but express the conclusions or doctrines which the Frate specially teaches, and which the trial by fire is to prove true or false.”",
          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "ref": "1892, H. Rider Haggard, chapter 10, in Nada the Lily",
          "text": "And he pointed with his little assegai, the assegai handled with the royal wood, to where the fire glowed reddest—ay, he pointed and laughed. Then, my father, I grew cold indeed—yes, I grew cold who soon should be hot, for I saw the purpose of Chaka. He would put me to the trial by fire.",
          "type": "quotation"
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          "ref": "1922, Sax Rohmer, chapter 34, in Fire-Tongue",
          "text": "[T]he final test, the trial by fire, which took place in a subterranean chamber of the great temple, resulted in a candidate whose courage failed him being precipitated into that lake of flame which I have already described.",
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        "A test in which a person is exposed to flames in order to assess their truthfulness, commitment, courage etc."
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          "_dis1": "85 13 2",
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          "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
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          "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
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          "code": "fr",
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          "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
          "tags": [
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          "code": "de",
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          "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
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          "code": "pt",
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          "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
          "tags": [
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          "_dis1": "85 13 2",
          "code": "es",
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          "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
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          "_dis1": "85 13 2",
          "code": "sv",
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          "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
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          "ref": "1939 September 8, “Swiss Hear Heavy Guns”, in Reading Eagle, USA, retrieved 2012-07-15, page 8",
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          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1959 June 22, “Cinema”, in Time",
          "text": "Pork Chop Hill. Director Lewis Milestone . . . has produced a nerve-shattering study of how the American infantryman met his trial by fire in Korea.",
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          "_dis1": "17 81 2",
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          "tags": [
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          "_dis1": "17 81 2",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
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          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2001 June 18, Jessica Reaves, “Will Your Doctor Get More Reasonable Hours?”, in Time",
          "text": "Now, residents' legendary 100+-hour workweek may be on its way out. . . . Some doctors insist the long hours are a necessary trial by fire that produces highly skilled, virtually unflappable physicians.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        "(idiomatic, by extension) Any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance or resolve."
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            "feminine"
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          "_dis1": "5 5 90",
          "code": "fr",
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          "_dis1": "5 5 90",
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          "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Feuerprobe"
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          "_dis1": "5 5 90",
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          "roman": "agniprīkṣā",
          "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
          "word": "अग्निपरीक्षा"
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    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
      "tags": [
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      ],
      "word": "vuurproef"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
      "word": "tulikoe"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "épreuve du feu"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Feuerprobe"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "prova de fogo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "prueba de fuego"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "test in which a person is exposed to flames",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "eldprov"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "situation in which a soldier or other combatant faces the discharge of opposing weapons",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "vuurdoop"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "situation in which a soldier or other combatant faces the discharge of opposing weapons",
      "word": "tulikoe"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "situation in which a soldier or other combatant faces the discharge of opposing weapons",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "épreuve du feu"
    },
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "roman": "ogniporikkha",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "word": "অগ্নিপরীক্ষা"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "vuurproef"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "vuurdoop"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "word": "tulikoe"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "épreuve par le feu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "épreuve du feu"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Feuerprobe"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "roman": "agniprīkṣā",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "word": "अग्निपरीक्षा"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "próba ognia"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
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      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "prova de fogo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "prueba de fuego"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "idiomatic: any ordeal which tests one's strength, endurance, or resolve",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "eldprov"
    }
  ],
  "word": "trial by fire"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.