try
Audio Help [trahy] Pronunciation Key verb, tried, try·ing, noun, plural tries.
Audio Help [trahy] Pronunciation Key verb, tried, try·ing, noun, plural tries. –verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
–noun
—Verb phrases
—Idioms
| 1. | to attempt to do or accomplish: Try it before you say it's simple. |
| 2. | to test the effect or result of (often fol. by out): to try a new method; to try a recipe out. |
| 3. | to endeavor to evaluate by experiment or experience: to try a new field; to try a new book. |
| 4. | to test the quality, value, fitness, accuracy, etc., of: Will you try a spoonful of this and tell me what you think of it? |
| 5. | Law. to examine and determine judicially, as a cause; determine judicially the guilt or innocence of (a person). |
| 6. | to put to a severe test; subject to strain, as of endurance, patience, affliction, or trouble; tax: to try one's patience. |
| 7. | to attempt to open (a door, window, etc.) in order to find out whether it is locked: Try all the doors before leaving. |
| 8. | to melt down (fat, blubber, etc.) to obtain the oil; render (usually fol. by out). |
| 9. | Archaic.
|
| 10. | to make an attempt or effort; strive: Try to complete the examination. |
| 11. | Nautical. to lie to in heavy weather under just sufficient sail to head into the wind. |
| 12. | an attempt or effort: to have a try at something. |
| 13. | Rugby. a score of three points earned by advancing the ball to or beyond the opponents' goal line. |
| 14. | try on, to put on an article of clothing in order to judge its appearance and fit: You can't really tell how it will look until you try it on. |
| 15. | try out, to use experimentally; test: to try out a new car. |
| 16. | try out for, to compete for (a position, membership, etc.): Over a hundred boys came to try out for the football team. |
| 17. | give it the old college try, Informal. to make a sincere effort: I gave it the old college try and finally found an apartment. |
| 18. | try it, that, etc., on, Chiefly British Informal.
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[Origin: 1250–1300; ME trien to try (a legal case) < AF trier, OF: to sift, cull, of uncert. orig.
]
] —Synonyms 1, 10. Try, attempt, endeavor, strive all mean to put forth an effort toward a specific end. Try is the most often used and most general term: to try to decipher a message; to try hard to succeed. Attempt, often interchangeable with try, sometimes suggests the possibility of failure and is often used in reference to more serious or important matters: to attempt to formulate a new theory of motion. Endeavor emphasizes serious and continued exertion of effort, sometimes aimed at dutiful or socially appropriate behavior: to endeavor to fulfill one's obligations. Strive, stresses persistent, vigorous, even strenuous effort, often in the face of obstacles: to strive to overcome a handicap.
—Usage note 10. Try followed by and instead of to has been in standard use since the 17th century: The Justice Department has decided to try and regulate jury-selection practices. The construction occurs only with the base form try, not with tries or tried or trying. Although some believe that try and is less formal than try to, both patterns occur in all types of speech and writing.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
try out
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| try
Audio Help (trī) Pronunciation Key
v. tried (trīd), try·ing, tries (trīz) v. tr.
v. intr. To make an effort; strive. n. pl. tries (trīz)
Phrasal Verb(s): try on
Idiom(s): try (one's) hand To attempt to do something for the first time: I tried my hand at skiing. [Middle English trien, from Old French trier, to pick out, from Vulgar Latin *triāre.] 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? |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| try out | |
verb | |
| 1. | put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe" [syn: test] |
| 2. | try something new, as in order to gain experience; "Students experiment sexually"; "The composer experimented with a new style" [syn: experiment] |
| 3. | perform in order to get a role; "She auditioned for a role on Broadway" [syn: audition] |
| 4. | take a sample of; "Try these new crackers"; "Sample the regional dishes" [syn: sample] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
try out
to test (something) by using it
Example: We are trying out new teaching methods.
See also: trier, trying, try, try onExample: We are trying out new teaching methods.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
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