verb
- Make an effort or attempt.
- usage: "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"
- Put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to.
- usage: "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"
- Put on trial or hear a case and sit as the judge at the trial of.
- usage: "The football star was tried for the murder of his wife"; "The judge tried both father and son in separate trials"
- synonyms: judge, adjudicate, try
- Take a sample of.
- usage: "Try these new crackers"; "Sample the regional dishes"
- Examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process.
- usage: "The jury had heard all the evidence"; "The case will be tried in California"
- Give pain or trouble to.
- usage: "I've been sorely tried by these students"
- synonyms: try
- Test the limits of.
- usage: "You are trying my patience"
- Melt (fat or lard) in order to separate out impurities.
- usage: "try the yak butter"; "render fat in a casserole"
- Put on a garment in order to see whether it fits and looks nice.
- usage: "Try on this sweater to see how it looks"
adjective
- Hard to endure.
- usage: "fell upon trying times"
- Extremely irritating to the nerves.
- usage: "nerve-racking noise"; "the stressful days before a war"; "a trying day at the office"
- synonyms: nerve-racking, nerve-wracking, stressful
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). trying. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/trying/definitions/1185822 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "trying" http://smartdefine.org/trying/definitions/1185822 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, trying, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/trying/definitions/1185822>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "trying" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/trying/definitions/1185822> |