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

ut.
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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 theopponents' goal line.
SEE MORE DEFINITIONS

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RELATED WORDS
shot, attack, work, seek, struggle, investigate, prove, hear, decide, essay, whirl, dab, fling, eff
ort, bid, slap, pop, jab, trial, stab

NEARBY WORDS

1. truth-value gap,
2. truthful,
3. truthfully,
4. truthiness,
5. truths,
6. try line,
7. try on,
8. try one's hand,
9. try one's patience,
10. try out
 Idioms
give it the old college try, Informal. to make a sincere effort:I gave it the old college t
ry and finally found an apartment.
try it/that on, Chiefly British Informal.

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 member of the opposite sex:She avoide
d him after he'd tried it on with her.

ORIGIN OF TRY

1250–1300; Middle English trien to try (a legal case) < Anglo-

French trier, Old French: to sift, cull,of uncertain origin

SYNONYMS FOR TRY

1,
10. TRY, ATTEMPT, ENDEAVOR, STRIVE all mean to put forth an effort toward a specific
end. TRY is the most often usedand most general term: to try to decipher a message;
to try hard to succeed. ATTEMPT, often interchangeable withTRY, sometimes suggest
s 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 serio
us and continued exertion of effort, sometimes aimed at dutiful or socially appropriat
e behavior: to endeavor to fulfill one's obligations. STRIVE,stresses persistent, vigorou
s, even strenuous effort, often in the face of obstacles: to strive to overcome a handi
cap.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR try ON THESAURUS.COM

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

USAGE NOTE

10. TRY followed by and instead of to has been in standard use since the 17th century: TheJus
tice Department has decided to try and regulate jury-
selection practices. The constructionoccurs only with the base form TRY, not with tries or trie
d or trying. Although some believe that tryand is less formal than try to, both patterns occur i
n all types of speech and writing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR TRY

 Whatever the FBI says, the truthers will create alternative hypotheses that try to challenge the ‘off
icialstory.’

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

 “You try to always scratch where the itch is,” Huckabee said about his campaigning and rhetoric i
n the2008 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
SEE MORE EXAMPLES

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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 aneffo
rt or attempthe tried to climb a cliff
(tr often foll by out) to sample, test, or give experimental use to (something) inorder t
o 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 triedby t
hose children
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noun plural tries

an experiment or trial
an attempt or effort
SEE MORE
See also try on, try out

WORD ORIGIN FOR TRY

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

USAGE
 The use of and instead of to after try is very common, but should be avoided in formal writin
g: 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

WORD ORIGIN AND HISTORY FOR TRY

try
v.

c.1300, "examine judiciously, sit in judgment of," from Anglo-

French trier (late 13c.), from Old Frenchtrier "to pick out, cull" (12c.), from Gallo-
Romance *triare,
of unknown origin. The ground sense is "separate out (the good) by examination." Meaning "t
o test" is first recorded mid-14c.; that of "attemptto do" is from early 14c. Sense of
"to subject to some strain" (of patience, endurance, etc.) is recordedfrom 1530s. Trying "distr
essing" is first attested 1718.
To try (something) on for size in the figurativesense is recorded from 1956.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

MEDICINE DEFINITIONS FOR TRY

Try
abbr.
tryptophan

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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