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try

v. · n.
US //ˈtɹaɪ// UK //tɹˈaɪ// try
  1. 1 to attempt (v.)
    A1 Beginner

    to make an effort to do something, even if you are not sure you will succeed.

    to make an attempt or endeavour to achieve a specific goal; typically followed by a to-infinitive.

    Example

    I will try to finish my homework before the football game starts.

    Example

    The rescue team will try to reach the stranded climbers before the blizzard makes the mountain pass completely impassable.
    Pitfall
    I will try and to finish it.
    I will try to finish it.

    In formal writing, use 'try to' followed by the base verb. 'Try and' is common in spoken English but is considered informal.

  2. 2 to test or sample (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to use, taste, or do something to see if you like it or if it works.

    to test the quality, effect, or utility of something through experimentation or sampling.

    Example

    You should try the local soup while you are visiting the city.

    Example

    Engineers decided to try a different alloy for the turbine blades to see if it could withstand higher temperatures without warping.
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  1. 3 to judge in court (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal Law

    to examine a case in a court of law to decide if someone is guilty.

    to examine and determine a case or a person's guilt in a judicial court.

    Example

    The man was tried for theft and found guilty by the jury.

    Example

    The defendant is scheduled to be tried in a federal court next month on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud.

    Usage

    Usually used in the passive voice when referring to the defendant.
  2. 4 to strain patience (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make someone feel annoyed or tired by being difficult.

    to subject someone's patience, temper, or endurance to a severe strain.

    Example

    The children's constant shouting really tried their mother's patience.

    Example

    The long delays at the airport and the lack of information began to try the patience of even the most seasoned travellers.
  3. 5 an attempt (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    an act of attempting to do something.

    an instance of making an effort; an attempt.

    Example

    I didn't catch the ball on my first try, but I got it the second time.

    Example

    Despite a valiant try by the underdog team in the final minutes, the defending champions secured their victory.
  4. 6 rugby score (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Sport

    a way of scoring points in rugby by touching the ball down behind the opponent's goal line.

    the primary method of scoring in rugby union and rugby league, involving grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area.

    Example

    The winger ran half the length of the field to score a brilliant try.

    Example

    The referee consulted the television match official before awarding the try, as there was some doubt about whether the ball had been grounded properly.
  5. 7 programming block (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Programming

    a part of a computer program that tests code to see if it causes an error.

    a language construct used to define a block of code in which exceptions may be thrown and subsequently caught.

    Example

    Put the database connection code inside a try block to handle any connection errors.

    Example

    The developer implemented a try-catch-finally sequence to ensure that the file stream was closed regardless of whether an exception occurred during processing.

    Usage

    Almost always paired with a 'catch' or 'finally' block.

Etymology 1

From Middle English trien (“to separate out, sift, choose, select, evaluate, try a legal case”), from Anglo-Norman trier, triher, triere (“to divide, separate, choose, select, prove, determine, try a case”), Old French trier (“to choose, pick out or separate from others, sift, cull”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Occitan triar (“to choose, sort, scrutinise, peel”), Catalan triar (“to pick, choose, decide”). Suggested to be derived from Late Latin trītāre (“to crush, grind, trample, wear out”), itself derived from Classical Latin trītus (“rubbed, worn down, pulverised”), the past participle of terō, terere (“to rub, wear down, trample”), though this derivation is incompatible with the Occitan form. Additionally, the shift in meaning from "rub, crush, trample" to "pick out, choose, cull" is difficult to explain. One suggestion is that the semantic shift might have originated from a Latin phrase granum terere ("to tread the corn (in threshing)"; compare Latin trītūra (“rubbing, chafing, friction" also "threshing”)), which has a parallel in the modern French trier le grain (“to sort the grain”). Alternatively, perhaps derived from Vulgar Latin trīāre, a metathetic alteration of tīrāre (“to tear off, pull, draw”), whence also Old French tirer (“to draw, pull, pluck, tug, peck at, extract”), Occitan tirar (“to take, draw, retrieve, remove, extract”). Replaced native Middle English cunnen (“to try”) (from Old English cunnian), Middle English fandien (“to try, prove”) (from Old English fandian), and Middle English costnien (“to try, tempt, test”) (from Old English costnian).

Etymology 2

Probably from Old French trié.

Word family
Idioms4 entries

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