try
/tɹaɪ/ · try
noun
- An attempt or effort to do something. She gave the new recipe a try, hoping it would turn out well.
- An act of tasting or sampling something. He gave the exotic cheese a try before deciding to buy it.
- A way of scoring in rugby, achieved by grounding the ball in the opponent's in‑goal area. The winger scored a brilliant try in the final minutes of the match.
verb
- To make an effort to do or achieve something; to attempt. They tried to solve the puzzle before the timer ran out.
- To separate, sort, or divide into categories. She tried the beans into different piles based on size.
- To test or experiment with something to see how it works. The engineer tried the new software on several devices.
Did you know? The rugby term 'try' originally referred to the opportunity to 'try' at goal after grounding the ball, borrowing the verb's sense of making an attempt.