Try
WordNet
noun
(1) 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"
verb
(2) Put on a garment in order to see whether it fits and looks nice
"Try on this sweater to see how it looks"
(3) Melt (fat or lard) in order to separate out impurities
"Try the yak butter"
"Render fat in a casserole"
(4) Take a sample of
"Try these new crackers"
"Sample the regional dishes"
(5) Test the limits of
"You are trying my patience!"
(6) Give pain or trouble to
"I've been sorely tried by these students"
(7) Examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process
"The jury had heard all the evidence"
"The case will be tried in California"
(8) 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"
(9) 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"
(10) Put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to
"This approach has been tried with good results"
"Test this recipe"
WiktionaryText
English
Etymology
From trier, from , from Gallo-Romance *triare of unknown origin, perh. of origin akin to trauan "to trust, prove the truth of", triggwa "true, faithful", cf. tryggr "true, faithful", gitriuwi. Replaced native cunnen "to try" (from cunnian), fandien "to try, prove" (from fandian), and costnien "to try, tempt, test" (from costnian). More at true.
Verb
- To attempt. Followed by infinitive, the attempt fails or is expected to fail.
- I tried to rollerblade, but I couldn’t.
- To make an experiment. Usually followed by a present participle.
- I tried mixing more white paint to get a lighter shade.
- To work on something.
- You are trying too hard.
- To put to test.
- I shall try my skills on this
- To taste, sample, etc.
- Try this—you’ll love it.
- To put on trial.
- He was tried and executed.
- To tire.
- You are trying my patience.
Usage notes
This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing).- See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Related terms
- trial
- tried and tested
Noun
- An attempt.