Meaning of "try" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD TRY

From Old French trier to sort, sift, of uncertain origin.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF TRY

try  [traɪ]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF TRY

Try is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb try in English.

WHAT DOES TRY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Try

A try is a way of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area. Rugby union and league differ slightly in defining 'grounding the ball' and the 'in-goal' area. The term try comes from try at goal, signifying that originally, grounding the ball only gave the opportunity to try to score with a kick at goal. A try is analogous to a touchdown in American and Canadian football, with the major difference being that a try requires the ball be simultaneously touching the ground in the in-goal area and an attacking player who is in the field of play or in-goal. In the laws of both codes of rugby, the term touch down formally refers only to grounding the ball by the defensive team in their in-goal. Although occasionally people refer to a try as a 'touchdown', the correct usage for the action is 'grounding the ball'.

Definition of try in the English dictionary

The first definition of try in the dictionary is when tr, may take an infinitive, sometimes with to replaced by and to make an effort or attempt. Other definition of try is often foll by out to sample, test, or give experimental use to in order to determine its quality, worth, etc. Try is also to put strain or stress on.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO TRY

PRESENT

Present

I try

you try

he/she/it tries

we try

you try

they try

Present continuous

I am trying

you are trying

he/she/it is trying

we are trying

you are trying

they are trying

Present perfect

I have tried

you have tried

he/she/it has tried

we have tried

you have tried

they have tried

Present perfect continuous

I have been trying

you have been trying

he/she/it has been trying

we have been trying

you have been trying

they have been trying

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I tried

you tried

he/she/it tried

we tried

you tried

they tried

Past continuous

I was trying

you were trying

he/she/it was trying

we were trying

you were trying

they were trying

Past perfect

I had tried

you had tried

he/she/it had tried

we had tried

you had tried

they had tried

Past perfect continuous

I had been trying

you had been trying

he/she/it had been trying

we had been trying

you had been trying

they had been trying

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will try

you will try

he/she/it will try

we will try

you will try

they will try

Future continuous

I will be trying

you will be trying

he/she/it will be trying

we will be trying

you will be trying

they will be trying

Future perfect

I will have tried

you will have tried

he/she/it will have tried

we will have tried

you will have tried

they will have tried

Future perfect continuous

I will have been trying

you will have been trying

he/she/it will have been trying

we will have been trying

you will have been trying

they will have been trying

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would try

you would try

he/she/it would try

we would try

you would try

they would try

Conditional continuous

I would be trying

you would be trying

he/she/it would be trying

we would be trying

you would be trying

they would be trying

Conditional perfect

I would have try

you would have try

he/she/it would have try

we would have try

you would have try

they would have try

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been trying

you would have been trying

he/she/it would have been trying

we would have been trying

you would have been trying

they would have been trying

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you try
we let´s try
you try

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to try

Past participle

tried

Present Participle

trying

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «TRY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «try» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of try

adjudge · adjudicate · afflict · aim · annoy · appraisal · appraise · attempt · bash · bend over backwards · bust a gut · check out · consider · crack · drain · effort · endeavour · essay · evaluate · evaluation · examine · exhaust · experiment · front up · go · go for broke · go for it · hear · inconvenience · inspect · inspection · investigate · irk · irritate · judge · move heaven and earth · pain · plague · prove · sample · sap · seek · shot · stab · strain · stress · strive · struggle · taste · tax · test · tire · trial · trouble · try out · undertake · upset · vex · wear out · weary · whack

TRANSLATION OF TRY

Find out the translation of try to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of try from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «try» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 尝试
• Translator English - Spanish: tentativa
• English: try
• Translator English - Hindi: कोशिश
• Translator English - Arabic: تـَجْرِبَة
• Translator English - Russian: попытка
• Translator English - Portuguese: tentativa
• Translator English - Bengali: চেষ্টা
• Translator English - French: essai
• Translator English - Malay: Cuba
• Translator English - German: Versuch
• Translator English - Japanese: 努力
• Translator English - Korean: 노력
• Translator English - Javanese: Coba
• Translator English - Vietnamese: sự thử
• Translator English - Tamil: முயற்சி
• Translator English - Marathi: प्रयत्न
• Translator English - Turkish: denemek
• Translator English - Italian: prova
• Translator English - Polish: próba
• Translator English - Ukrainian: спроба
• Translator English - Romanian: încercare
• Translator English - Greek: προσπάθεια
• Translator English - Afrikaans: probeer
• Translator English - Swedish: försök
• Translator English - Norwegian: forsøk

10 QUOTES WITH «TRY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word try.

1

Lauren Ambrose

Yeah, I've always sung, and I always try to find a way for music to be in my life.

2

Bernard Baruch

Don't try to buy at the bottom and sell at the top. It can't be done except by liars.

3

Bo Bice

I try to be a better dad and husband than I do pretend rock star.

4

Barry Bonds

I never stop looking for things to try and make myself better.

5

Trishelle Cannatella

I want to try out for Playmate actually. I talked to one of the photographers about doing test shots.

6

Nick Cannon

I always try to be optimistic, but not to the point where I'm getting on people's nerves.

7

James Daly

You've just got to focus on excellence and try not to be distracted by the news and the rumors and the absurdities of the stories that were coming out.

8

Neil Finn

I try to put myself into unusual and difficult situations as often as I can in order to capture the element of struggle in the music.

9

Rickie Fowler

Some of my fans don't really like it when I respond to people who say things that are trying to be hurtful on social media. But I think it's kind of funny. There's a lot of things that make me laugh, that people would try and say those things. I mean, there's some that I can't even retweet or respond to just because of how bad it is.

10

Gary Frank

I think it's a mistake to try to pin down one particular reason for a person's personality. Don't we all, for many reasons, act differently in different circumstances and with different people?

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TRY»

Discover the use of try in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to try and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die

The book decodes the marketing hype and gets straight to the point; whether from India, America, Sweden, Ireland, Japan or the hills, glens and islands of Scotland, here are the 101 whiskies that you really want.

Ian Buxton, 2011

The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try

This self-study guide for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam from the Project Management Institute contains everything project managers need to pass the PMP Exam, including 44 processes, and 592 inputs, tools, and ...

Andy Crowe, 2005

52 Series: Things to Try Once in Your Life

From learning a foreign language to writing a letter to the president and spending an indulgent day in bed, this revised and updated deck features ideas big, small and fun, that are perfect adds to anyone's to-do list.

Lynn Gordon, 2011

Nothin' But Try: The Shane Drury Story

The book speaks of how Shane's faith and courage impacted the lives of others, many who had never met him. "Nothin' But Try" is more than just the story of a young man who was taken from this earth way too soon.

Tall Paul, 2008

Try-It Diet - Sugar-Free: A two-week healthy eating plan

Think again. With Try-It Diet: Sugar-Free, you’ll get a taste for the nutritional plan without having to give up great tasting food like Strawberry-Stuffed French Toast, Roasted Citrus Pork Tenderloin, and New York-Style Cheesecake.

Adams Media, 2011

Try

TRY is a delight and Burana deserves a gold belt buckle for taking us along for the ride."--Meghan Daum, author of THE QUALITY OF LIFE "Burana has the storyteller's gift.

Lily Burana, 2007

Try-It Diet: Diabetes Diet: A two-week healthy eating plan

Think again. With Try-It Diet: Diabetes Diet, you’ll get a taste for the nutritional plan without having to give up great tasting food like Fresh Tomato Basil Soup, Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce, and Cranberry Pecan Biscotti.

Editors of Adams Media, 2011

Trying Not to Try: The Art and Science of Spontaneity

Trying Not To Try is mind-expanding and deeply pleasurable, the perfect antidote to our striving modern culture. From the Hardcover edition.

Edward Slingerland, 2014

Try Giving Yourself Away

This is a heart-warming book describing the experience of David Dunn, the author, as he discovered the magic of 'giving yourself away'.

David Dunn, 2013

To Try Her Fortune in London: Australian Women, Colonialism, ...

This title considers white colonials as part of the colonial presence at the heart of the empire.

Angela Woollacott, 2001

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TRY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term try is used in the context of the following news items.

Koch Brothers Brave Spotlight to Try to Alter Their Image

Once known for grim letters to fellow wealthy Americans warning of socialist apocalypse, Charles G. Koch now promotes research on the link between freedom ... «New York Times, Jul 15»

3500 migrants try to enter Channel Tunnel to go from France to UK

(CNN) In just the past two days, 3,500 migrants have tried to cross the Channel Tunnel between France and the United Kingdom -- a dangerous breach that has ... «CNN, Jul 15»

Medicare to Try a Blend of Hospice Care and Treatment

Most older Americans close to death have to make a difficult choice: continue with traditional medical treatment or switch to hospice care, which focuses not on a ... «New York Times, Jul 15»

"Try" Lets You Try On Clothes Before Buying Them Online

Chrome: Shopping for clothes online is convenient, but one drawback is you're not sure how the item will look until you buy it and it's delivered. Try.com is a free ... «Lifehacker, Jul 15»

Auto Makers Try to Stop the Gear Heads

Do you own the car you've bought and paid for? Not really, not all of it. At least that's what auto makers are asserting to the U.S. Copyright Office. Tinkerers ... «Wall Street Journal, Jul 15»

Iron Ore Got You Down? Try Nuclear Waste

YALGOO, Australia—Hit by tumbling iron-ore prices and searching for a new strategy, one mining company deep in the Australian outback is pushing aside the ... «Wall Street Journal, Jul 15»

Italian Grandmothers Try Olive Garden For First And Last Time

In a new viral video, BuzzFeed asked Italian grandmas to try Olive Garden for the first time. For the most part, they're predictably underwhelmed -- and hilarious. «Huffington Post, Jul 15»

With Students Away, Colleges Try a New Course

School's out for summer, but some colleges are throwing their doors wide open. Eager for additional funds to supplement stagnant tuition revenue amid weak ... «Wall Street Journal, Jul 15»

Don't Believe In Evolution? Try Thinking Harder

The theory of evolution by natural selection is among the best established in science, yet also among the most controversial for subsets of the American public. «NPR, Jun 15»

Do Try This At Home: Hacking Ribs — In The Pressure Cooker

This summer, NPR is getting crafty in the kitchen. As part of Weekend Edition's Do Try This At Home series, chefs are sharing their cleverest hacks and tips ... «NPR, Jun 15»