try

American  

[trahy] / traɪ /

verb (used with object)

• tries,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tried,
  past participle,  past
• trying
  present participle

1. to attempt to do or accomplish.

   Try it before you say it's simple.

2. to test the effect or result of (often followed byout ).

   to try a new method; to try a recipe out.

3. to endeavor to evaluate by experiment or experience.

   to try a new field; to try a new book.

4. to test the quality, value, fitness, accuracy, etc., of.

   Will you try a spoonful of this and tell me what you think of it?

5. Law. to examine and determine judicially, as a cause; determine judicially the guilt or innocence of (a person).

6. to put to a severe test; subject to strain, as of endurance, patience, affliction, or trouble; tax.

   to try one's patience.

7. to attempt to open (a door, window, etc.) in order to find out whether it is locked.

   Try all the doors before leaving.

8. to melt down (fat, blubber, etc.) to obtain the oil; render (usually followed byout ).

9. Archaic.

   1. to determine the truth or right of (a quarrel or question) by test or battle (sometimes followed byout ).

   2. to find to be right by test or experience.

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verb (used without object)

• tries,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tried,
  past participle,  past
• trying
  present participle

1. to make an attempt or effort; strive.

   Try to complete the examination.

2. Nautical. to lie to in heavy weather under just sufficient sail to head into the wind.

noun

• tries
  plural

1. an attempt or effort.

   to have a try at something.

2. Rugby. a score of three points earned by advancing the ball to or beyond the opponents' goal line.

verb phrase

1. try on to put on an article of clothing in order to judge its appearance and fit.

   You can't really tell how it will look until you try it on.

2. try out for to compete for (a position, membership, etc.).

   Over a hundred boys came to try out for the football team.

3. try out to use experimentally; test.

   to try out a new car.

idioms

1. try it / that on,

   1. to put on airs.

      She's been trying it on ever since the inheritance came through.

   2. to be forward or presumptuous, especially with a potential romantic partner.

      She avoided him after he'd tried it on with her.

2. give it the old college try, to make a sincere effort.

   I gave it the old college try and finally found an apartment.

try British  

/ traɪ /

verb

1. to make an effort or attempt

   he tried to climb a cliff

2. to sample, test, or give experimental use to (something) in order to determine its quality, worth, etc

   try her cheese flan

3. (tr) to put strain or stress on

   he tries my patience

4. (tr; often passive) to give pain, affliction, or vexation to: I have been sorely tried by those children

5. 1. to examine and determine the issues involved in (a cause) in a court of law

   2. to hear evidence in order to determine the guilt or innocence of (an accused)

   3. to sit as judge at the trial of (an issue or person)

6. (tr) to melt (fat, lard, etc) in order to separate out impurities

7. obsolete to extract (a material) from an ore, mixture, etc, usually by heat; refine

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noun

1. an experiment or trial

2. an attempt or effort

3. rugby the act of an attacking player touching the ball down behind the opposing team's goal line, scoring five or, in Rugby League, four points

4. Also called: try for a point.  American football an attempt made after a touchdown to score an extra point by kicking a goal or, for two extra points, by running the ball or completing a pass across the opponents' goal line

try More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing try

• old college try
• tried

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Usage

Try followed by and instead of to has been in standard use since the 17th century: The Justice Department has decided to try and regulate jury-selection practices. The construction occurs only with the base form try, not with tries or tried or trying. Although some believe that try and is less formal than try to, both patterns occur in all types of speech and writing.

The use of and instead of to after try is very common, but should be avoided in formal writing: we must try to prevent (not try and prevent ) this happening

Synonym Usage

Try, attempt, endeavor, strive all mean to put forth an effort toward a specific end. Try is the most often used and most general term: to try to decipher a message; to try hard to succeed. Attempt, often interchangeable with try, sometimes suggests the possibility of failure and is often used in reference to more serious or important matters: to attempt to formulate a new theory of motion. Endeavor emphasizes serious and continued exertion of effort, sometimes aimed at dutiful or socially appropriate behavior: to endeavor to fulfill one's obligations. Strive, stresses persistent, vigorous, even strenuous effort, often in the face of obstacles: to strive to overcome a handicap.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retry
  verb
• pretry
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tries
  plural

Participles

• trying
  present
• tried
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• try
  simple
• tries
  simple
• have tried
  perfect
• has tried
  perfect
• am trying
  progressive
• are trying
  progressive
• is trying
  progressive
• have been trying
  perfect progressive
• has been trying
  perfect progressive

Past

• tried
  simple
• had tried
  perfect
• was trying
  progressive
• were trying
  progressive
• had been trying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will try
  simple
• will have tried
  perfect
• will be trying
  progressive
• will have been trying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of try

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English trien “to try (a legal case),” from Anglo-French trier, Old French “to sift, cull”; of uncertain origin

Explanation

Try describes putting effort into something, like when you try to draw a horse, or take a sample of something, like when you try a new flavor of ice cream. Another meaning is of try is to put on trial — a prosecutor might try a defendant for theft. Try can also describe testing the limits of something, like when a bratty kid you are babysitting tries your patience. When you add an ending to try, you need to change the y to an i, as in tried and tries. When you add -ing, however, you keep the y to form trying.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

try tries tried trying

He would regularly try to block bills by talking them out.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Prevent was set up 20 years ago to try to identify future potential terrorists and intervene in their lives, often by challenging hateful ideologies such as far right extremism or support for jihadist violence.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Minnesota said in the lawsuit that officials fear he may try to flee if released, given his ties to nearby Mexico and fluency in Spanish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

America might not have a monarchy, but that doesn’t mean most of us won’t try to bow at fame’s feet at some point.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

This was all just another lie, another scheme to try to regain control over me.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

If the teen tries a shortcut, “responsible homework reminders” will redirect teens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

He came in as a blank sheet last season and tries to learn every day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The danger isn’t insurmountable, but it’s just another barrier for the Federal Reserve as it tries to restore low U.S. inflation for the first time in nearly six years.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

On Wednesday in Salzburg Emery tries for a fourth time to win the competition, when Villa face Champions League winners Paris St-Germain.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Lurch after lurch, nostrils flaring, Belle tries to move forward.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

The U.S. doesn’t formally recognize North Korea as a nuclear power, though Kim has tried to get Washington to do so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

We are hurt and confused, but we have also tried to respect the boundaries they have established.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Growing up in Quebec, the midfielder said he was fitted for hockey skates long before he tried on soccer cleats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

But the most revealing part of the BBC’s filing isn’t the subpoenas themselves — it’s the account of what happened when the network tried to serve them.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

He’d crawled in through a knothole in the wall and tried to crawl out the same way.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

"We are disappointed Prince Abdullah is trying to hurt the club and its supporters with publicity stunts," it read.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

“They’re not going to be the mainstream. There’s no way,” Rothrock said, comparing it with trying to power the entire grid with rooftop solar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

As high-school math students gear up to buy the newest version of Texas Instruments’ TI-84 graphic calculator, cheaper upstarts are trying to break the company’s decades-old grip on the market.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

It added that since the winding-up order was issued no offer has been made to settle the debt and that Rosen and Eltoukhy are "trying to take the club without paying for it".

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

I take a deep breath, trying to exhale every thought, every feeling I’ve ever had about Boat Boy.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• attack
• seek
• struggle
• work