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

While it’s probably a good idea to try and rely a bit less heavily on packaged snack foods, there’s no major danger from allowing your tiny humans to have their regular packet of fish-shaped crackers.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

"No matter how old you are, or how much you try to prepare, losing your father is a profoundly painful experience," Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch wrote on social media.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

I didn’t try to be involved with all that.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The 29-year-old Zverev, who had been touted as the sport’s next big thing for a decade, finally broke through to win a Grand Slam on his 41st try by taking the French Open in June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

I try to let him off the hook.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Novo Nordisk, the Danish drug giant behind Ozempic, is streamlining its corporate culture and shortening its name as it tries to better compete in the market for weight-loss drugs.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Orange County Rep. Young Kim has removed several references to President Trump from her campaign website as she tries to broaden her appeal to voters in a race against fellow Republican Rep. Ken Calvert.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Wigan Warriors won a sixth League Leaders' Shield as they ran in nine tries to beat Catalans Dragons and carry on their remarkable run of form heading into the Super League play-offs.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

For a change from that bit of torture, Smith challenges teammates to modified games of tug-of-war, where each player grips one side of a massive tire and tries to drag the other to the turf.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

And I come alongside a musher whose teeth are chattering—a bad sign—while he tries to get a fire going.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

But in “I Disagree,” she goes beyond her impressive resume to reveal her insecurities — unusual in the ego driven TV news business — and tells readers how she’s tried to resolve them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

This was hardly the first time Hegseth tried to weaponize polygraphs against his own people.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

She tried to get fresh air but was struggling to breathe.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

When one tried to back out, another recalled its prior commitment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Father and son will be in the lab soon, refining a still-developing game, and trying to get a U.S. man over the line.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

It’s good that there are people out there trying to ensure that our food is safe from unwanted chemicals.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

It is also likely to be part of the talks between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, who are trying to meet before next week's summit, the paper said.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

You’re trying to wrap up a work call while bagging your kid’s outgrown clothes when a ping comes in from a parent chat — soccer registration just opened and spots are filling fast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Aunt J is calling around, trying to get the status of her friends who were down there.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Related Words

• attack
• seek
• struggle
• work