try

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try

(trī)

v. tried (trīd), try·ing, tries (trīz)

v.tr.

1. To make an effort to do or accomplish (something); attempt: tried to ski.

a. To taste, sample, or otherwise test in order to determine strength, effect, worth, or desirability: Try this casserole.

b. To make an effort to open (a closed door or window).

3. Law

a. To conduct the trial of (a legal claim): to try a negligence case.

b. To put (an accused person) on trial.

4. To subject to great strain or hardship; tax: The last steep ascent tried my every muscle.

5. To melt (lard, for example) to separate out impurities; render.

v.intr.

To make an effort; strive: I know it's not easy, but keep trying!

n. pl. tries (trīz)

1. An attempt; an effort.

2. Sports In Rugby, an act of advancing the ball past the opponent's goal line and grounding it there for a score of three points.

Phrasal Verbs:

try on

1. To don (a garment) to test its fit.

2. To test or use experimentally.

try out

1. To undergo a competitive qualifying test, as for a job or athletic team.

2. To test or use experimentally.

Idioms:

try (one's) hand

To attempt to do something for the first time: I tried my hand at skiing.

try (one's) fortune

To make an effort or take a risk to be successful, especially as a newcomer.

[Middle English trien, to pick out, separate (right from wrong), test, attempt, from Old French trier, to pick out; akin to Provençal and Catalan triar, to pick out, of unknown origin.]

Usage Note: The phrase try and is commonly used as a substitute for try to, as in Could you try and make less noise? A number of grammarians have labeled the construction incorrect. To be sure, the usage is associated with informal style and strikes an inappropriately conversational note in formal writing. In our 2005 survey, just 55 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the construction in the sentence Why don't you try and see if you can work the problem out for yourselves?

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

try

(traɪ)

vb, tries, trying or tried

1. (when: tr, may take an infinitive, sometimes with to replaced by and) to make an effort or attempt: he tried to climb a cliff.

2. (often foll by: out) 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. (Law)

a. to examine and determine the issues involved in (a cause) in a court of law

b. to hear evidence in order to determine the guilt or innocence of (an accused)

c. to sit as judge at the trial of (an issue or person)

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

7. (Mining & Quarrying) obsolete (usually foll by: out) to extract (a material) from an ore, mixture, etc, usually by heat; refine

n, pl tries

8. an experiment or trial

9. an attempt or effort

10. (Rugby) 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

11. (American Football) American football Also called: try for a point 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

[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 writing: we must try to prevent (not try and prevent) this happening

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

try

(traɪ)

v. tried, try•ing, v.t.

1. to attempt to do or accomplish: Try running a mile a day.

2. to test the effect or result of (often fol. by out): tried a new recipe.

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

4. to sample, taste, or test, as in order to evaluate.

5. to examine and determine judicially, esp. to determine the guilt or innocence of (a person).

6. to put to a severe test; subject to strain, as of endurance: trying one's patience.

7. to attempt to open (a door, window, etc.) in order to find out whether it is locked.

8. to melt down (fat, blubber, etc.) to obtain the oil; render (usu. fol. by out).

9. Archaic. to determine the truth or right of (a quarrel or question) by test or battle.

v.i.

10. to make an attempt or effort; strive: You must try harder.

11. try on, to put on (an article of clothing) in order to judge its appearance and fit.

12. try out,

a. to test.

b. to compete for a position or role, as by taking part in a test or trial.

13. an attempt or effort.

14. a score of usu. four points in rugby earned by advancing the ball to or beyond the opponent's goal line.

[1250–1300; Middle English trien to try (a legal case) < Anglo-French trier, Old French: to sift, cull]

usage.: The phrase try and is often used where try to is expected: Try and stop me. Though try and is found in all levels of speech and writing, it is sometimes considered inappropriate in formal contexts.

try

beseech - First meant "search for, try to obtain."
emulate - Means "try to equal or surpass, especially by copying."
experience, experiment, expert - Experience, experiment and expert derive from Latin experiri, "try."
quorum - First the genitive plural of Latin qui, "who," it originally referred to the "number of justices who need be present to try a case."

try

– attempt

Both these words can be verbs or nouns. The other forms of try are tries, trying, tried.

1. 'try' used as a verb

If you try to do something, you make an effort to do it.

My sister tried to cheer me up.

He was trying his best to understand.

You can also try and do something. There is no difference in meaning, but try and do is used in conversation and less formal writing. In formal English, use try to do.

Try and see how many of these questions you can answer.

Please try and help me to cope with this.

We must try and understand.

Be Careful!
You can only use and after the base form of try – that is, when you are using it as an imperative or infinitive, or after a modal. You cannot say, for example, 'I was trying and help her' or 'I was trying and helping her'.

If you try doing something, you do it in order to find out how useful, effective, or enjoyable it is.

He tried changing the subject.

Have you ever tried painting?

2. 'attempt' used as a verb

If you attempt to do something, you try to do it. Attempt is a more formal word than try.

Some of the crowd attempted to break through the police lines.

Rescue workers attempted to cut him from the crashed vehicle.

Be Careful!
You don't say 'The crowd attempted and break through or 'The crowd attempted breaking through'.

3. 'try' and 'attempt' used as nouns

When someone tries to do something, you can refer to what they do as a try or an attempt. Try is normally used only in conversation and less formal writing. In formal English, you usually talk about an attempt.

After a few tries they gave up.

The young birds manage to fly several kilometres at their first attempt.

You say that someone has a try at something or gives something a try.

You've had a good try at it.

'I'll go and see him in the morning.' – 'Yes, give it a try.'

You say that someone makes an attempt to do something.

He made an attempt to call Courtney; she wasn't in.

Two recent reports made an attempt to assess the success of the project.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

try

Past participle: tried
Gerund: trying

Imperative
try
try

Present
I try
you try
he/she/it tries
we try
you try
they try

Preterite
I tried
you tried
he/she/it tried
we tried
you tried
they tried

Present Continuous
I am trying
you are trying
he/she/it is trying
we are trying
you are trying
they are trying

Present Perfect
I have tried
you have tried
he/she/it has tried
we have tried
you have tried
they have tried

Past Continuous
I was trying
you were trying
he/she/it was trying
we were trying
you were trying
they were trying

Past Perfect
I had tried
you had tried
he/she/it had tried
we had tried
you had tried
they had tried

Future
I will try
you will try
he/she/it will try
we will try
you will try
they will try

Future Perfect
I will have tried
you will have tried
he/she/it will have tried
we will have tried
you will have tried
they will have tried

Future Continuous
I will be trying
you will be trying
he/she/it will be trying
we will be trying
you will be trying
they will be trying

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been trying
you have been trying
he/she/it has been trying
we have been trying
you have been trying
they have been trying

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been trying
you will have been trying
he/she/it will have been trying
we will have been trying
you will have been trying
they will have been trying

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been trying
you had been trying
he/she/it had been trying
we had been trying
you had been trying
they had been trying

Conditional
I would try
you would try
he/she/it would try
we would try
you would try
they would try

Past Conditional
I would have tried
you would have tried
he/she/it would have tried
we would have tried
you would have tried
they would have tried

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

try

Scored when a player runs through the defense to touch a ball down in the opponents’ in-goal area; worth four points in Rugby Union, three in Rugby League.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	try - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try" attempt, effort, endeavor, endeavour batting - (baseball) the batter's attempt to get on base best - the supreme effort one can make; "they did their best" worst - the weakest effort or poorest achievement one is capable of; "it was the worst he had ever done on a test" activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity" bid, play - an attempt to get something; "they made a futile play for power"; "he made a bid to gain attention" fling, go, offer, whirl, crack, pass - a usually brief attempt; "he took a crack at it"; "I gave it a whirl" essay - a tentative attempt foray - an initial attempt (especially outside your usual areas of competence); "scientists' forays into politics" contribution, share, part - the part played by a person in bringing about a result; "I am proud of my contribution in advancing the project"; "they all did their share of the work" liberation - the attempt to achieve equal rights or status; "she worked for women's liberation" mug's game - a futile or unprofitable endeavor power play, squeeze play, squeeze - an aggressive attempt to compel acquiescence by the concentration or manipulation of power; "she laughed at this sexual power play and walked away" seeking - an attempt to acquire or gain something stab, shot - informal words for any attempt or effort; "he gave it his best shot"; "he took a stab at forecasting" shot - an attempt to score in a game nisus, pains, striving, strain - an effortful attempt to attain a goal struggle, battle - an energetic attempt to achieve something; "getting through the crowd was a real struggle"; "he fought a battle for recognition" takeover attempt - an attempt to take control of a corporation trial, run, test - the act of testing something; "in the experimental trials the amount of carbon was measured separately"; "he called each flip of the coin a new trial" trial, test - the act of undergoing testing; "he survived the great test of battle"; "candidates must compete in a trial of skill"
Verb	1.	try - make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world" attempt, essay, assay, seek pick up the gauntlet, take a dare - be dared to do something and attempt it act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" struggle, fight - make a strenuous or labored effort; "She struggled for years to survive without welfare"; "He fought for breath" have a go, give it a try - make an attempt at something; "I never sat on a horse before but I'll give it a go" grope - search blindly or uncertainly; "His mind groped to make the connection" endeavor, endeavour, strive - attempt by employing effort; "we endeavor to make our customers happy" give it a try, give it a whirl - try; "let's give it a whirl!" adventure, gamble, run a risk, take a chance, take chances, risk, chance, hazard - take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome; "When you buy these stocks you are gambling" lay on the line, put on the line, risk - expose to a chance of loss or damage; "We risked losing a lot of money in this venture"; "Why risk your life?"; "She laid her job on the line when she told the boss that he was wrong" test, try out, try, essay, examine, prove - put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"
	2.	try - put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe" test, try out, essay, examine, prove pass judgment, evaluate, judge - form a critical opinion of; "I cannot judge some works of modern art"; "How do you evaluate this grant proposal?" "We shouldn't pass judgment on other people" verify, control - check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard; "Are you controlling for the temperature?" float - circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with; "The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform" field-test - test something under the conditions under which it will actually be used; "The Army field tested the new tanks"
	3.	try - put on trial or hear a case and sit as the judge at the trial of; "The football star was tried for the murder of his wife"; "The judge tried both father and son in separate trials" adjudicate, judge decide, make up one's mind, determine - reach, make, or come to a decision about something; "We finally decided after lengthy deliberations" court-martial - subject to trial by court-martial
	4.	try - take a sample of; "Try these new crackers"; "Sample the regional dishes" sample, taste, try out ingest, consume, have, take in, take - serve oneself to, or consume regularly; "Have another bowl of chicken soup!"; "I don't take sugar in my coffee" degust - taste with relish; "degust this wonderful soup"
	5.	try - examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process; "The jury had heard all the evidence"; "The case will be tried in California" hear probe, examine - question or examine thoroughly and closely rehear, retry - hear or try a court case anew
	6.	try - give pain or trouble to; "I've been sorely tried by these students" anguish, pain, hurt - cause emotional anguish or make miserable; "It pains me to see my children not being taught well in school"
	7.	try - test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!" strain, stress afflict - cause great unhappiness for; distress; "she was afflicted by the death of her parents" rack - stretch to the limits; "rack one's brains"
	8.	try - melt (fat or lard) in order to separate out impurities; "try the yak butter"; "render fat in a casserole" render cookery, cooking, preparation - the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed who have experience in cookery"; "he left the preparation of meals to his wife" melt, melt down, run - reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating; "melt butter"; "melt down gold"; "The wax melted in the sun"
	9.	try - put on a garment in order to see whether it fits and looks nice; "Try on this sweater to see how it looks" try on don, put on, get into, wear, assume - put clothing on one's body; "What should I wear today?"; "He put on his best suit for the wedding"; "The princess donned a long blue dress"; "The queen assumed the stately robes"; "He got into his jeans"

try

verb

1. attempt, seek, aim, undertake, essay, strive, struggle, endeavour, have a go, go for it (informal), make an effort, have a shot (informal), have a crack (informal), bend over backwards (informal), do your best, go for broke (slang), make an attempt, move heaven and earth, bust a gut (informal), give it your best shot (informal), have a stab (informal), break your neck (informal), exert yourself, make an all-out effort (informal), knock yourself out (informal), have a whack (informal), do your damnedest (informal), give it your all (informal), rupture yourself (informal) He secretly tried to block her advancement in the Party.

2. experiment with, try out, put to the test, test, taste, examine, investigate, sample, evaluate, check out, inspect, appraise It's best not to try a new recipe on such an important occasion.

4. tax, test, trouble, pain, stress, upset, tire, strain, drain, exhaust, annoy, plague, irritate, weary, afflict, sap, inconvenience, wear out, vex, irk, make demands on, give someone grief (Brit. & S. African) She really tried my patience.

noun

1. attempt, go (informal), shot (informal), effort, crack (informal), essay, stab (informal), bash (informal), endeavour, whack (informal) I didn't really expect anything, but it was worth a try.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

try

verb

1. To make an attempt to do or make:

2. To subject to a procedure that ascertains effectiveness, value, proper function, or other quality:

Idioms: bring to the test, make trial of, put to the proof.

phrasal verb
try out

To subject to a procedure that ascertains effectiveness, value, proper function, or other quality:

Idioms: bring to the test, make trial of, put to the proof.

noun

1. A trying to do or make something:

Translations

drie

تـَجْرِبَةتَجْرِبَه، مُحاوَلَه، إخْتِباريُجَرِّبُيُجَرِّب، يَخْتَبِريُحاكِم، يُقاضي

pokusit sezkusitpokussoudittrojka

forsøgeprøveforsøgafprøveteste

kokeillayrittääyrityskokeilusyyttää

isprobatipokušajpokušati

hárompontos gól

dæmaòaî aî skora markreynareyna áreyna, prófa

･･･を試すトライ努める努力挑戦する

노력시도하다하려고 하다

nenuleidžiantis rankų žmogusprimatuotiprisimatuoti

mēģinājumsmēģinātnobaudītpārbaudīttiesāt

napínaťtrojka

pokusitipomeritiposkusposkusitipostaviti pred sodišče

försökförsökaprovatestachans

พยายามลองความพยายาม

denemekgayret etmekgirişmetaşırmaktecrübe etmek

cố gắngsự thửthử

try

[traɪ]

try on VT + ADV

1. [+ clothes, shoes] → probarse
would you like to try it on? → ¿quiere probárselo?
see also size ¹

2. (Brit) (fig) to try it on: she's trying it on to see how far she can push you → lo está haciendo para ver hasta cuánto aguantas
take no notice, he's just trying it on → no le hagas caso, sólo está intentando quedarse contigo
don't try anything on with me! → ¡no intentes quedarte conmigo!

try out

A. VT + ADV [+ machine, new product, method] → probar; [+ new employee] → poner a prueba
try it out on yourself first → pruébelo con usted mismo primero

B. VI + ADV to try out for sth [actor, singer, sportsperson] → intentar pasar las pruebas de algo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

try

[ˈtraɪ]

(= test out) [+ new method, new technique, new car, recipe] → essayer
Have you tried snowboarding? → As-tu essayé le snowboard?
to try doing sth → essayer de faire qch

(= taste) [+ food, drink] → goûter
Would you like to try some? → Voulez-vous goûter?

(= attempt to open) [+ door, window] → essayer d'ouvrir

(LAW) [+ person, case] → juger

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

try

[traɪ]

2. vt

b. (sample, experiment with, method, car, food) → provare
why not try him for the job? → perché non gli fai fare una prova?
try pressing that switch → prova a schiacciare quell'interruttore

d. (Law) to try sb (for sth) → processare qn (per qc)

3. vi (attempt) → provare
try again! → provaci ancora!

try on vt + adv

a. (clothes, shoes) → provare

b. (Brit) (fam) to try it on (with sb) → cercare di farla (a qn)

try out vt + adv (test, sth new, different) → provare; (employee) → far fare una prova a
to try sth out on sb → far provare qc a qn

try

(trai) verb

1. to attempt or make an effort (to do, get etc). He tried to answer the questions; Let's try and climb that tree!

2. to test; to make an experiment (with) in order to find out whether something will be successful, satisfactory etc. She tried washing her hair with a new shampoo; Try one of these sweets.

3. to judge (someone or their case) in a court of law. The prisoners were tried for murder.

4. to test the limits of; to strain. You are trying my patience.

noun – plural tries –

1. an attempt or effort. Have a try (at the exam). I'm sure you will pass.

2. in rugby football, an act of putting the ball on the ground behind the opponents' goal-line. Our team scored three tries.

ˈtrier noun

a person who keeps on trying, who does not give up. He's not very good, but he's a trier.

ˈtrying adjective

1. difficult; causing strain or anxiety. Having to stay such a long time in hospital must be very trying.

2. (of people) stretching one's patience to the limit; annoying. She's a very trying woman!

try on

to put on (clothes etc) to see if they fit. She tried on a new hat.

try out

to test (something) by using it. We are trying out new teaching methods.

try

→ تـَجْرِبَة, يُجَرِّبُ pokus, pokusit se, vyzkoušet forsøg, forsøge, prøve ausprobieren, Versuch, versuchen προσπάθεια, προσπαθώ intentar, probar, tentativa kokeilla, yrittää, yritys essai, essayer isprobati, pokušaj, pokušati prova, provare ･･･を試す, 努める, 努力 노력, 시도하다, 하려고 하다 poging, proberen, uitproberen forsøk, forsøke, prøve próba, spróbować, wypróbować experimentar, tentar, tentativa попытка, пробовать, пытаться försök, försöka, prova ความพยายาม, พยายาม, ลอง çaba, çabalamak, denemek cố gắng, sự thử, thử 尝试, 试图

try

n. prueba, ensayo;

v. probar, ensayar, hacer una prueba; intentar;

to ___ out → probar, someter a prueba;

to ___ on → probarse.

May I try it on? (US)
Can I try it on? (UK)
May I try on this dress? (US)
Can I try on this dress? (UK)
May I try on these pants? (US)
Can I try on these trousers? (UK)
I'd like to try something local, please
Would you mind trying again later? (US)
Can you try again later? (UK)

try

n (pl tries) intento, prueba; vt (pret & pp tried) tratar de, intentar; (a new medication, etc.) probar; vi tratar, intentar