try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

TRY definition: 1. to attempt to do something: 2. to test something to see if it is suitable or useful or if it…. Learn more.

The construction occurs only with the base form try, not with tries or tried or trying. Although some believe that try and is less formal than try to, both patterns occur in all types of speech and …

The phrase try and is often used where try to is expected: Try and stop me. Though try and is found in all levels of speech and writing, it is sometimes considered inappropriate in formal …

Definition of try verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Try, attempt, endeavor, strive all mean to put forth an effort toward a specific end. Try is the most often used and most general term: to try to decipher a message; to try hard to succeed.

Dec 14, 2025 · Because try and is often prescriptively deprecated, it is best avoided in formal writing (aiming for the audience's approval), but descriptively it is a fact that try and is an …

You should try the cake. It's excellent. “Would you like to try some caviar?” “Sure—I'll try anything once.” Try a little bite.

Dec 16, 2025 · Try describes putting effort into something, like when you try to draw a horse, or take a sample of something, like when you try a new flavor of ice cream. Another meaning is …

Some common synonyms of try are attempt, endeavor, essay, and strive. While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," try is often close to attempt but may stress …