try

[ trahy ]

/ traɪ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: try / tried / tries / trying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), tried, try·ing.

to attempt to do or accomplish: Try it before you say it's simple.

to test the effect or result of (often followed by out): to try a new method; to try a recipe out.

to endeavor to evaluate by experiment or experience: to try a new field; to try a new book.

to test the quality, value, fitness, accuracy, etc., of: Will you try a spoonful of this and tell me what you think of it?

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

to put to a severe test; subject to strain, as of endurance, patience, affliction, or trouble; tax: to try one's patience.

to attempt to open (a door, window, etc.) in order to find out whether it is locked: Try all the doors before leaving.

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

Archaic.

to determine the truth or right of (a quarrel or question) by test or battle (sometimes followed by out).
to find to be right by test or experience.

verb (used without object), tried, try·ing.

to make an attempt or effort; strive: Try to complete the examination.

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

noun, plural tries.

an attempt or effort: to have a try at something.

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

Verb Phrases

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.

try out, to use experimentally; test: to try out a new car.

try out for, to compete for (a position, membership, etc.): Over a hundred boys came to try out for the football team.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about try

give it the old college try, Informal. to make a sincere effort: I gave it the old college try and finally found an apartment.

try it / that on, Chiefly British Informal.

to put on airs: She's been trying it on ever since the inheritance came through.
to be forward or presumptuous, especially with a potential romantic partner: She avoided him after he'd tried it on with her.

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

synonym study for try

1, 10. 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.

usage note for try

10. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM try

pre·try, verb (used with object), pre·tried, pre·try·ing.re·try, verb, re·tried, re·try·ing.

Words nearby try

Truth, Sojourner, truth table, truth-value, truth-value gap, Truth will out, try, tryhard, trying, trying plane, tryke, try line

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use try in a sentence

It was a nice try on Victory’s part, but touring riders tend to be a conservative bunch, many of whom still haven’t quite accepted the Vision’s aesthetic.
22 of the weirdest concept motorcycles ever made|By John Burns/Cycle World|September 10, 2020|Popular-Science
Below are a few tries from the right wing that highlight how broken the Rockets look when Harden wants to isolate against a defense that only feels like guarding three of his teammates.
The Rockets’ New Starting Lineup Is Just Scratching The Surface Of Its Potential|Michael Pina|September 8, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
If you're into that sort of thing, this might be a good chance to give the relatively new game a try at less than full price.
Pick up The Last of Us Part II for $10 off—or take $30 off a used copy|Ars Staff|September 3, 2020|Ars Technica
After a few tries, aided by the skills she’d picked up in the occasional coding class in college, she got the script to spit out a deepfake video.
Memers are making deepfakes, and things are getting weird|Karen Hao|August 28, 2020|MIT Technology Review

So are uncontested corner 3-point tries, which have become more plentiful as teams scramble to stop penetrators at the last second.
The Suns And Mavs Shouldn’t Have Surprised Us … But We Didn’t See T.J. Warren Coming|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 5, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Whatever the FBI says, the truthers will create alternative hypotheses that try to challenge the ‘official story.’
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?|Shane Harris|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We try to avoid going away for too long, so we can check back in.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were just way too aggressive to try and maintain on a farm here,” says Gow of his “Nazi cows.
‘Nazi Cows’ Tried to Kill British Farmer|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“You try to always scratch where the itch is,” Huckabee said about his campaigning and rhetoric in the 2008 primary.
Why This Liberal Hearts Huckabee|Sally Kohn|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their first attempt to unseat the House speaker failed miserably, so why not try again?
The YOLO Caucus' New Cry for Attention|Ben Jacobs|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He shall pass into strange countries: for he shall try good and evil among men.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Given one more Division we might try: as things are, my troops won't cover the mileage.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
These hills, if we have to mount them, shall sorely try the thews of horse and man.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
Never grasp a Fern plant from above and try to pull it away, as this will be almost sure to result in damage.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
But they soon fell out, for Murat had the audacity to try and make these patriots fight instead of merely seeking plunder.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison

British Dictionary definitions for try

try

/ (traɪ) /

verb tries, trying or tried

(when tr, may take an infinitive, sometimes with to replaced by and) to make an effort or attempthe tried to climb a cliff

(tr often foll by out) to sample, test, or give experimental use to (something) in order to determine its quality, worth, etctry her cheese flan

(tr) to put strain or stress onhe tries my patience

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

to examine and determine the issues involved in (a cause) in a court of law
to hear evidence in order to determine the guilt or innocence of (an accused)
to sit as judge at the trial of (an issue or person)

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

(tr usually foll by out) obsolete to extract (a material) from an ore, mixture, etc, usually by heat; refine

noun plural tries

an experiment or trial

an attempt or effort

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

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

Word Origin for try

C13: from Old French trier to sort, sift, of uncertain origin

usage for try

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with try

try

In addition to the idioms beginning with try

try on
try one's hand
try one's patience
try out

also see:

old college try

Also see undertried.