TRY

attempt, effort, endeavor, endeavour, try

(noun) 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”

try, render

(verb) melt (fat or lard) in order to separate out impurities; “try the yak butter”; “render fat in a casserole”

sample, try, try out, taste

(verb) take a sample of; “Try these new crackers”; “Sample the regional dishes”

try, strain, stress

(verb) test the limits of; “You are trying my patience!”

try

(verb) give pain or trouble to; “I’ve been sorely tried by these students”

hear, try

(verb) examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process; “The jury had heard all the evidence”; “The case will be tried in California”

judge, adjudicate, try

(verb) 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”

try, seek, attempt, essay, assay

(verb) 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”

test, prove, try, try out, examine, essay

(verb) put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; “This approach has been tried with good results”; “Test this recipe”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Verb

try (third-person singular simple present tries, present participle trying, simple past and past participle tried)

To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive.

(obsolete) To divide; to separate.

To separate (precious metal etc.) from the ore by melting; to purify, refine.

(one sort from another) To winnow; to sift; to pick out; frequently followed by out.

(nautical) To extract oil from blubber or fat; to melt down blubber to obtain oil

To extract wax from a honeycomb

To test, to work out.

To make an experiment. Usually followed by a present participle.

To put to test.

(specifically) To test someone's patience.

(figuratively, chiefly, used in the imperative) To receive an imminent attack; to take.

To taste, sample, etc.

To prove by experiment; to apply a test to, for the purpose of determining the quality; to examine; to prove; to test.

(legal) To put on trial.

To experiment, to strive.

To have or gain knowledge of by experience.

To work on something.

(obsolete) To do; to fare.

To settle; to decide; to determine; specifically, to decide by an appeal to arms.

(euphemism, of a couple) To attempt to conceive a child.

(nautical) To lie to in heavy weather under just sufficient sail to head into the wind.

To strain; to subject to excessive tests.

(slang, chiefly African-American Vernacular, used with another verb) To want

Usage notes

• (to attempt): This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. Conjugations unmarked for tense can take and instead of to, for which also see try.

• (to make an experiment): This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing).

• See English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• (to attempt): attempt, endeavor, fand, mint, take a run at, take a stab at

• (to taste, sample, etc): sample, taste

Noun

try (plural tries)

An attempt.

An act of tasting or sampling.

(rugby) A score in rugby league and rugby union, analogous to a touchdown in American football.

(UK, dialect, obsolete) A screen, or sieve, for grain.

(American football) a field goal or extra point

Synonyms

• (an attempt): bash, go, stab, whirl

• (an act of tasting or sampling): sampling, taste, tasting

• (a score in rugby): touchdown (American football)

• (the point after touchdown): extra point (American football)

Etymology 2

Adjective

try (comparative more try, superlative most try)

(obsolete) Fine, excellent.

Anagrams

• Tyr

Source: Wiktionary


Try, v. t. [imp. & p. p. tried; p. pr. & vb. n. Trying.] Etym: [OE. trien to select, pick out, F. trier to cull, to out, LL. tritare to triturate (hence the sense of, to thresh, to separate the grain from the straw, to select), L. terere, tritum, to rub, bruise, grind, thresh. See Trite.]

1. To divide or separate, as one sort from another; to winnow; to sift; to pick out; -- frequently followed by out; as, to try out the wild corn from the good. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.

2. To purify or refine, as metals; to melt out, and procure in a pure state, as oil, tallow, lard, etc. Shak. The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Ps. xii. 6. For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Ps. lxvi. 10.

3. To prove by experiment; to apply a test to, for the purpose of determining the quality; to examine; to prove; to test; as, to try weights or measures by a standard; to try a man's opinions. Let the end try the man. Shak.

4. To subject to severe trial; to put to the test; to cause suffering or trouble to. Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was pleased. Milton. Thomas Paine (1776)

5. To experiment with; to test by use; as, to try a remedy for disease; to try a horse. Come, try upon yourselves what you have seen me. Shak. To ease her cares the force of sleep she tries. Swift.

6. To strain; to subject to excessive tests; as, the light tries his eyes; repeated disappointments try one's patience.

7. (Law)

Definition: To examine or investigate judicially; to examine by witnesses or other judicial evidence and the principles of law; as, to try a cause, or a criminal.

8. To settle; to decide; to determine; specifically, to decide by an appeal to arms; as, to try rival claims by a duel; to try conclusions. Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried. Shak.

9. To experience; to have or gain knowledge of by experience. Milton. Or try the Libyan heat or Scythian cold. Dryden.

10. To essay; to attempt; to endeavor. Let us try . . . to found a path. Milton. To try on. (a) To put on, as a garment, to ascertain whether it fits the person. (b) To attempt; to undertake. [Slang] Dickens.

Syn.

– To attempt; endeavor; strive; aim; examine.

– Try, Attempt. To try is the generic, to attempt is the specific, term. When we try, we are usually uncertain as to success; when we attempt, we have always some definite object in view which we seek to accomplish. We may be indifferent as to the result of a trial, but we rarely attempt anything without a desire to succeed. He first deceased: she for a little tried To live without him; liked it not, and died. Sir H. Wotton. Alack, I am afraid they have a waked, And 't is not done. The attempt, and not the deed, Confounds us. Shak.

Try, v. i.

1. To exert strength; to endeavor; to make an effort or an attempt; as, you must try hard if you wish to learn.

2. To do; to fare; as, how do you try! [Prov. Eng.]

Try, n.

1. A screen, or sieve, for grain. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Holland.

2. Act of trying; attempt; experiment; trial. This breaking of his has been but a try for his friends. Shak. Try cock, a gauge cock. See under Gauge.

Try, a. Etym: [Cf. Try, v. t.]

Definition: Refined; select; excellent; choice. [Obs.] "Sugar that is try." Chaucer.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 March 2024

FAULTFINDING

(adjective) tending to make moral judgments or judgments based on personal opinions; “a counselor tries not to be faultfinding”


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