try (tr?)v. tried (tr?d), try·ing, tries (tr?z) v.tr.1. To make an effort to do or accomplish (something); attempt: tried to ski.2. a. To taste, sample, or otherwise test in order to determine strength, effect, worth, or desirability: Try this casserole.b. To make an effort to open (a closed door or window).3. Law a. To conduct the trial of (a legal claim): to try a negligence case.b. 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.v.intr. To make an effort; strive: I know it’s not easy, but keep trying!n. pl. tries (tr?z) 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 on1. To don (a garment) to test its fit.2. To test or use experimentally. try out1. To undergo a competitive qualifying test, as for a job or athletic team.2. To test or use experimentally.Idioms: try (one’s) hand To attempt to do something for the first time: I tried my hand at skiing. try (one’s) fortune To make an effort or take a risk to be successful, especially as a newcomer.[Middle English trien, to pick out, separate (right from wrong), test, attempt, from Old French trier, to pick out; akin to Provençal and Catalan triar, to pick out, of unknown origin.]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. In our 2005 survey, just 55 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the construction in the sentence Why don’t you try and see if you can work the problem out for yourselves?American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.try (tra?) vb, tries, trying or tried1. (when: tr, may take an infinitive, sometimes with to replaced by and) to make an effort or attempt: he tried to climb a cliff. 2. (often foll by: out) to sample, test, or give experimental use to (something) in order to determine its quality, worth, etc: try her cheese flan. 3. (tr) to put strain or stress on: he tries my patience. 4. (tr; often passive) to give pain, affliction, or vexation to: I have been sorely tried by those children5. (Law) a. to examine and determine the issues involved in (a cause) in a court of lawb. to hear evidence in order to determine the guilt or innocence of (an accused)c. to sit as judge at the trial of (an issue or person)6. (Cookery) (tr) to melt (fat, lard, etc) in order to separate out impurities7. (Mining & Quarrying) obsolete (usually foll by: out) to extract (a material) from an ore, mixture, etc, usually by heat; refinen, pl tries8. an experiment or trial9. an attempt or effort10. (Rugby) rugby the act of an attacking player touching the ball down behind the opposing team’s goal line, scoring five or, in Rugby League, four points11. (American Football) American football Also called: try for a point an attempt made after a touchdown to score an extra point by kicking a goal or, for two extra points, by running the ball or completing a pass across the opponents’ goal line[C13: from Old French trier to sort, sift, of uncertain origin]Usage: The use of and instead of to after try is very common, but should be avoided in formal writing: we must try to prevent (not try and prevent) this happeningCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014try (tra?) v. tried, try?ing, v.t. 1. to attempt to do or accomplish: Try running a mile a day. 2. to test the effect or result of (often fol. by out): tried a new recipe. 3. to endeavor to evaluate by experiment or experience: to try a new field. 4. to sample, taste, or test, as in order to evaluate. 5. to examine and determine judicially, esp. to determine the guilt or innocence of (a person). 6. to put to a severe test; subject to strain, as of endurance: trying one’s patience. 7. to attempt to open (a door, window, etc.) in order to find out whether it is locked. 8. to melt down (fat, blubber, etc.) to obtain the oil; render (usu. fol. by out). 9. Archaic. to determine the truth or right of (a quarrel or question) by test or battle. v.i. 10. to make an attempt or effort; strive: You must try harder. 11. try on, to put on (an article of clothing) in order to judge its appearance and fit. 12. try out, a. to test. b. to compete for a position or role, as by taking part in a test or trial. n. 13. an attempt or effort. 14. a score of usu. four points in rugby earned by advancing the ball to or beyond the opponent’s goal line. [1250?1300; Middle English trien to try (a legal case) Both these words can be verbs or nouns. The other forms of try are tries, trying, tried.If you try to do something, you make an effort to do it.You can also try and do something. There is no difference in meaning, but try and do is used in conversation and less formal writing. In formal English, use try to do.Be Careful!You can only use and after the base form of try – that is, when you are using it as an imperative or infinitive, or after a modal. You cannot say, for example, ‘I was trying and help her’ or ‘I was trying and helping her’.If you try doing something, you do it in order to find out how useful, effective, or enjoyable it is.If you attempt to do something, you try to do it. Attempt is a more formal word than try.Be Careful!You don’t say ‘The crowd attempted and break through or ‘The crowd attempted breaking through’.When someone tries to do something, you can refer to what they do as a try or an attempt. Try is normally used only in conversation and less formal writing. In formal English, you usually talk about an attempt.You say that someone has a try at something or gives something a try.You say that someone makes an attempt to do something.