English dictionary

try Meaning & Definition

Q: What is the past tense of try?

The past tense of try is tried. The present participle is trying.

Q: What are the comparative and superlative forms of try?

The comparative form is more try and the superlative form is most try.

/tɹaɪ/

What Does Try Mean?

Try is a symbol that means ISO 639-3 language code for Turung. As a verb, it means To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive. As a noun, it means An attempt.

Word Facts for Try

Part of speech	symbol, verb, noun, adjective
Pronunciation	//tɹaɪ//
Syllables	1
Synonyms	endeavor, render and assay
Plural	tries
Comparative / superlative	more try, most try
Verb forms	tries, trying, tried

Try Definition (Symbol)

ISO 639-3 language code for Turung.

Try as a Verb

To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive.
I tried to rollerblade, but I couldn’t.
To divide; to separate. To separate (precious metal etc.) from the ore by melting; to purify, refine. To winnow; to sift; to pick out; frequently followed by out.
to try out the wild corn from the good
To separate (precious metal etc.) from the ore by melting; to purify, refine.
To winnow; to sift; to pick out; frequently followed by out.
to try out the wild corn from the good
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.
I tried mixing more white paint to get a lighter shade.
To make an experiment. Usually followed by a present participle.
I tried mixing more white paint to get a lighter shade.
To put to test.
I shall try my skills on this.
To test someone's patience.
You are trying my patience.
To fight or to make an attempt at an attack.
You wouldn't dare and try me!
To receive an imminent attack; to take.
To taste, sample, etc.
Oh, you need to try the soup of the day!
To prove by experiment; to apply a test to, for the purpose of determining the quality; to examine; to prove; to test.
to try weights or measures by a standard; to try a person's opinions
To attempt to determine (by experiment or effort).
I'll try whether I can make it across town on foot.
To put on trial.
He was tried and executed.
To experiment, to strive. To have or gain knowledge of by experience. To work on something with one's best effort and focus.
Dad, for God's sake, I'm trying my best!
To have or gain knowledge of by experience.
To work on something with one's best effort and focus.
Dad, for God's sake, I'm trying my best!
To do; to fare.
How do you try! (i.e., how do you do?)
To settle; to decide; to determine; specifically, to decide by an appeal to arms.
to try rival claims by a duel; to try conclusions
To attempt to conceive a child.
To lie to in heavy weather under just sufficient sail to head into the wind.
To strain; to subject to excessive tests.
The light tries his eyes.
To want, to desire.
I am really not trying to hear you talk about my mama like that.

Try as a Noun

An attempt.
I gave unicycling a try but I couldn’t do it.
An act of tasting or sampling.
I gave sushi a try but I didn’t like it.
A score in rugby league and rugby union, analogous to a touchdown in American football.
Today I scored my first try.
A screen, or sieve, for grain.
A field goal or extra point
A move that almost solves a chess problem, except that Black has a unique defense.
A block of code that may trigger exceptions the programmer expects to catch, usually demarcated by the keyword try.

Try as an Adjective

Fine, excellent.

Verb

To divide; to separate.
To test, to work out.
To experiment, to strive.
(used with another verb) To want
I am really not trying to hear you talk about my mama like that.

Antonyms of Try

No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.

Try in a Sentence

I tried to rollerblade, but I couldn’t.

Can you start the car? —I'll try (to).

to try out the wild corn from the good

I tried mixing more white paint to get a lighter shade.

I shall try my skills on this.

You are trying my patience.

Don't try me.

You wouldn't dare and try me!

You fixin' to try something, fool?

Oh, you need to try the soup of the day!

to try weights or measures by a standard; to try a person's opinions

I'll try whether I can make it across town on foot.

He was tried and executed.

Dad, for God's sake, I'm trying my best!

You are trying too hard.

How do you try! (i.e., how do you do?)

to try rival claims by a duel; to try conclusions

The light tries his eyes.

Repeated failures try one's patience.

I am really not trying to hear you talk about my mama like that.

I gave unicycling a try but I couldn’t do it.

I gave sushi a try but I didn’t like it.

Today I scored my first try.

Word Forms & Grammar

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

try (plural tries)

try (comparative more try, superlative most try)

Words That Rhyme With Try

wry exemplify rectify high lie apply fortify awry mollify amplify nullify cry ally sigh clarify comply die identify sly intensify thereby supply defy decry abide by belie specify eye occupy signify

Origin of Try

Origin 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 Vulgar 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”).

Origin 2: 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).

Origin 3: From Middle English trye, trie, probably from Old French trié, past participle of Old French trier (“to try”).

How Do You Say Try?

The standard pronunciation of try is //tɹaɪ//, spoken in 1 syllable.

Frequently Asked Questions About Try

Is try a symbol or a verb?

Try is mainly used as a symbol, but it can also be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective.

What is another word for try?

Words with a similar meaning to try include endeavor, render and assay. See the full list of try synonyms and antonyms.