try
(trī)
[Middle English trien, from Old French trier, to pick out, from Vulgar Latin* triāre.]
verb: tried (trīd), try·ing, tries (trīz)
transitive verb
- To make an effort to do or accomplish (something); attempt: tried to ski.
- To taste, sample, or otherwise test in order to determine strength, effect, worth, or desirability: Try this casserole. Try the door.
- Law
- To examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process.
- To put (an accused person) on trial.
- To subject to great strain or hardship; tax: The last steep ascent tried my every muscle.
- To melt (lard, for example) to separate out impurities; render.
- To smooth, fit, or align accurately.
intransitive verb
- To make an effort; strive.
noun: pl., tries (trīz)
- An attempt; an effort.
- 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
- To don (a garment) to test its fit.
- To test or use experimentally.
- try out
- To undergo a competitive qualifying test, as for a job or athletic team.
- 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.
usage note
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. Sixty-five percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use in writing of the sentence Why don't you try and see if you can work the problem out between yourselves?
