stabs
n. countablen. attempts or tries at doing something, especially when you are not sure if you will succeed. You use this when you are giving something a go for the first time.
n. informal attempts or tries at achieving a task or solving a problem. Often used in the plural within the idiomatic construction 'to take stabs at'.
She took several stabs at the puzzle before finishing it.
After three failed stabs at the entrance exam, he finally decided to hire a private tutor.
The committee took several stabs at drafting the new policy, but each version was met with significant resistance from the board members who felt the language was too vague.
Commonly used in the plural form within the phrase 'take stabs at' or 'have a stab at'.
I did a stab at the answerI took a stab at the answerThe noun 'stab' (meaning attempt) collocations with the verb 'take' or 'have', not 'do'.