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

The concerns around the Manning-led attack became so severe on Saturday that Sarkisian elected to try a 53-yard field goal rather than go for it on 4th-and-2.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Carreras made amends with a try of his own although Northampton started turning the screw despite Bath unloading their bench of big-hitters.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

It is important for parents not to be defensive, try to explain themselves or justify their actions, Hickem says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Said Misiorowski: “The dude’s insane. I’m just hoping that these guys can do their job and handle business with him and let me do my thing and try to get that side taken care of.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

I blink, try to focus on her, but it’s like she’s wrapped in a fog.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Based in the Dutch city of The Hague, the ICC tries individuals suspected of the world's worst offences -- war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Aaron says he tries to embrace the darker times that come with his grief.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Accompanied by two interns, he doggedly tries to reach everyone on the civic integrity team of Facebook.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Starbucks shares are still up 10.7% so far this year, as the coffee chain tries to revive sales with new drinks and more welcoming coffee shops.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

It’s the perfect seat, in that we have easy on and off, but we’re not in the front row, where Darren the bus driver always tries to talk with us about Stranger Things.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Six overs after Stubbs was caught, Marco Jansen, who had struck six fours in quickly reaching 26, also tried to pull Hazlewood off a fuller length and was tamely caught at mid-off.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

In fact, the film-maker and her crew were regularly falling sick as they tried to keep up with Lisa's ridiculous schedule.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Jail staff tried to revive him before he was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sept. 5.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Rogue AI models have hacked companies and tried to break into government websites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The priest also explains that “he indicated many instances in which he had tried to find out what she was reading and she had refused to show him the title of the book.”

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

"I just know some man was obviously trying to bang on the fence to try and deter the tiger away, but it obviously wasn't doing anything," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Taking orders is part of the job, certainly; trying to do it while the rest of the restaurant threatens to unravel is another matter.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

“It was no more eight to five. We were trying to rush and find ways to get him out. … It’s been devastating.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

With a budget of $70, Trinyce and Ijeoma, two women in their twenties, said they were trying to find something to decorate their apartment.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Some pose, trying to look frightening, tough, their thumbs tucked into their holsters.

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

Related Words

• attack
• seek
• struggle
• work