try
Pronunciation: /tɹaɪ/
The English word “try” has 20 meanings listed here.
verb
- To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive.
- 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 extract oil from blubber or fat; to melt down blubber to obtain oil
- To extract wax from a honeycomb
- To make an experiment. Usually followed by a present participle.
- To put to test.
- To test someone's patience.
- To fight or to make an attempt at an attack.
- To receive an imminent attack; to take.
- To taste, sample, etc.
- To prove by experiment; to apply a test to, for the purpose of determining the quality; to examine; to prove; to test.
- To attempt to determine (by experiment or effort).
- To put on trial.
- To have or gain knowledge of by experience.
- To work on something with one's best effort and focus.
- To do; to fare.
- To settle; to decide; to determine; specifically, to decide by an appeal to arms.
- To attempt to conceive a child.
- To lie to in heavy weather under just sufficient sail to head into the wind.
Etymology
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,…
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.