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

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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

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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

That does not, however, mean she doesn’t want to try.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

The match was summed up by England's 10th try, when a promising Wales attack involved a chipped kick to the corner, but the bounce went kindly for Brown behind her own try line.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Thank goodness the Chargers again snapped defeat from the jaws of victory with that pathetic fourth-down try when they were leading 17-10.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

The first test will come when the Texans try to pick up their second win of the season in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

I try to stay as still as him.

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

Brown raced 109 metres up to the other end to score one of the longest-range tries in women's rugby league history, and thoroughly demoralise Wales.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Australia, though, responded with five tries by half-time.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Godzilla of con artists as ‘The Rehearsal’s’ Nathan Fielder tries to wrestle the truth out of Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Seyfried soon finds herself reenacting Holmes’ conversations with Fielder as he tries to make sense of their encounters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

And although she tries to rebel against it, that habit of not swearing has stayed with her.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Fielder tells Holmes that he was reminded of the bit the day before, when Holmes tried to describe the science and intention of Theranos in front of its deconstructed prototype.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

The firm caused further panic in February when it announced plans to partially cash out investors in the fund it had tried to restructure by selling $600 million of loans it held.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

But while top-tier high school programs tried to lure him away, it was never a question.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

"I would find that I'd be down these really deep rabbit holes... it was like no matter how hard you tried to get out, you couldn't."

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

He tried to choke up on the branch, to move closer to the safety of the sturdy trunk, but he was no match for the power of Pain.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Evans immediately interjects, trying to halt and redirect the conversation.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Executives were trying to solve a puzzle: They could see some clients in Chicago’s affluent North Shore suburbs weren’t buying from the downtown Chicago store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Every year, hundreds of animals die trying to cross State Route 62, connecting L.A. and Joshua Tree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Curtis Hall denied it was trying to avoid having to make such an application by limiting the plant to 49.9MW.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

“I was always trying to sneak a taste of her food,” I admit.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

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