How to Use ordeal in a Sentence

ordeal

noun
  • How has this ordeal changed you?
    — Hernan Lopez, Variety, 20 Dec. 2025
  • But her ordeal doesn’t end there.
    — Lise Pedersen, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Killing is what kicked off this whole ordeal in the first place.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2025
  • The whole ordeal took about half an hour, and there were tears.
    — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2024
  • But Paul was hurt in the ordeal.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
  • Still, Porter's ordeal wasn't through.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
  • For better or for worse, both sides get to move on from this messy ordeal.
    — Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
  • But the year-and-a-half ordeal took a toll on her finances and health.
    — Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Those last hours of the ordeal are a story of their own, so read to the end.
    — Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 8 Dec. 2025
  • The whole ordeal has been a huge boost for the younger Brandon.
    — Aj Willingham, CNN, 17 July 2022
  • By the time the ordeal was over, Kilbane says she was hooked.
    — Gretchen Cuda Kroen, cleveland, 17 Jan. 2023
  • Lala Kent went through a scary ordeal with her baby girl last week.
    — Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2022
  • The whole ordeal has left her feeling changed for the better.
    — Shania Russell, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2024
  • The ordeal delayed the game briefly as players dropped to the field.
    — Howard Koplowitz | [email protected], al, 15 Sep. 2023
  • Belle stayed on the phone with her father throughout the ordeal.
    — Mike Cason | [email protected], al, 13 Jan. 2023
  • But Hannah's ordeal was far from over.
    — CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Their 6-year-old son was miles away, safe and sound during the whole ordeal.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 23 Jan. 2025
  • There is one silver lining in this whole ordeal.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
  • As with flight delays, the abrupt change in plans can turn into an ordeal.
    — Luz Lazo, Washington Post, 22 July 2022
  • That, for me, has been the biggest takeaway from this whole ordeal.
    — Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Tether also gained a new client through the ordeal.
    — Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Chicken dinners don't need to be a whole ordeal.
    — Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
  • In some ways, the ordeal has strengthened the couple’s bond.
    — Blane Bachelor, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Add the stress of a fish fight, and trout can have a tough time surviving the ordeal.
    — Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023
  • And the entire ordeal was captured on video.
    — Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Their first meeting was a love-at-first-sight ordeal—at least on John's end.
    — Sabrina Park, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Apr. 2022
  • Not that family trips to Maine are any kind of ordeal.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 May 2026
  • But the whole ordeal may have been too much for Speaker Gillett.
    — Carl Hulse, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023
  • He was portrayed in a movie and wrote two books about enduring the ordeal.
    — Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2021
  • The entire ordeal lasted just four days.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ordeal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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