Definition of try

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try    (tr) KEY 

VERB:
tried  (trd) KEY , try·ing, tries  (trz) KEY 
VERB:
tr.

1. To make an effort to do or accomplish (something); attempt: tried to ski.
2. To taste, sample, or otherwise test in order to determine strength, effect, worth, or desirability: Try this casserole. Try the door.
3. Law
   1. To examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process.
   2. To put (an accused person) on trial.
4. To subject to great strain or hardship; tax: The last steep ascent tried my every muscle.
5. To melt (lard, for example) to separate out impurities; render.
6. To smooth, fit, or align accurately.

VERB:
intr.

To make an effort; strive.

NOUN:
pl. tries  (trz) KEY 

1. An attempt; an effort.
2. Sports In Rugby, an act of advancing the ball past the opponent's goal line and grounding it there for a score of three points.

PHRASAL VERBS:
try on

1. To don (a garment) to test its fit.
2. To test or use experimentally.

try out

1. To undergo a competitive qualifying test, as for a job or athletic team.
2. To test or use experimentally.

IDIOM:
try (one's) hand

To attempt to do something for the first time: I tried my hand at skiing.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English trien, from Old French trier, to pick out, from Vulgar Latin *trire
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?