try

Word family  noun try adjective trying untried verb try

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++try1 /traɪ/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle tried, present participle trying, third person singular tries)  1  attempt 试图 [intransitive, transitive]TRY TO DO OR GET something to take action in order to do something that you may not be able to do 试，尝试；试图；努力 Let’s have a rest and then we’ll try again. 我们休息一下，然后再试。try to do something He tried to control his voice. 他尽量控制自己的声音。 She was trying not to cry. 她强忍住不哭出来。try and do something Try and take some form of daily exercise. 试着做一些日常锻炼。try hard/desperately (to do something) (=make a lot of effort to do something) 极力/拼命地（做某事） She dabbed at her face and tried hard not to sniff. 她轻轻拍了拍自己的脸，极力忍住不抽鼻子。 I tried everything to lose weight with no success. 我试了各种方法减肥，但都没有成功。try your best/hardest (to do something) (=make as much effort as possible to do something) 尽最大努力（做某事） I tried my best to comfort her. 我尽了最大努力去安慰她。 I tried and tried (=kept making an effort) and eventually I was offered a job. 我一次次地尝试，终于有人给了我一份工作。 Try as he might (=as hard as he could), he could not get the incident out of his mind. 他想尽办法，但脑子里仍摆脱不掉那件事。it wasn’t for lack/want of trying (=used to say that if someone does not achieve something it is not because they have not tried) 并不是因为没有努力 They didn’t get any goals, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. 他们没有进球，但并不是因为他们没有努力。you couldn’t do something if you tried (=used to say that someone does not have the skill or ability to do something) 再努力也做不了某事 She couldn’t speak French if she tried. 她再努力也不会说法语。 →4  See picture of 见图 try2  test/use 试验/使用 [transitive]TRY something TO SEE IF IT IS GOOD to do or use something for a short while to discover if it is suitable, successful, enjoyable etc 试用；试验；试一下 It works really well – you should try it. 真的很管用——你应该试试。try doing something They decided they would try living in America for a while. 他们决定在美国住一段时间试试。 Try logging off and logging on again. 退出后再重新登录试试。try something new/different (=do or use something that is different from what you usually do or use) 尝试新的/不同的事物 If I’m going out for a meal, I prefer to try something different. 如果我到外面吃饭，我喜欢尝试不一样的东西。try something on somebody/something We tried the machine on hardwood and soft wood. 我们在硬木和软木上都试过这台机器。try somebody on something Petra’s trying the baby on solid foods. 彼得拉试着让小宝宝吃些固体食品。try something for size (=put on a piece of clothing or test something to find out if it is the correct size or suitable) 试某物大小 Always try a sleeping bag for size before you buy it. 买睡袋之前一定要试试大小是否合适。3  food/drink 食品/饮料 [transitive]TASTE OF FOOD OR DRINK to taste food or drink to find out if you like it 尝一尝，品尝 SYN taste Would you like to try some crisps? 要不要尝尝薯片？4  try to find SB/STH 试图找到某人/某物 [intransitive, transitive]LOOK FOR to go to a place or person, or call them, in order to find something or someone 去〔某地〕找；问〔某人〕；试一试；找一找 Sorry, he’s not in. Would you like to try again later? 对不起，他不在。 您稍后再打来好吗？ Let’s try Mouncy Street. He could be there. 我们到芒西大街去找找看吧，他可能会在那儿。5  door/window 门/窗户 [transitive]OPEN to attempt to open a door, window etc in order to see if it is locked 试着打开〔门、窗等〕 She tried the door and it opened. 她推了推，门开了。 He tried the handle but the door was locked. 他试着转动把手，但门锁着。6  law 法律 [transitive]JUDGE to examine and judge a legal case, or someone who is thought to be guilty of a crime in a court 审判，审理 → trialbe tried for something He was tried for attempting to murder his wife. 他因企图谋杀妻子而受到审判。 The defence argued that a regional court was not competent to try their case. 被告辩称地方法院无权审理他们的案子。5 GRAMMAR 语法• If you try to do something , you attempt to succeed in doing it. try to do something 的意思是“设法做某事”We must try to prevent this happening.我们必须设法阻止此事发生。• If you try doing something , you do it in order to find out if it is enjoyable or produces the result you want. try doing something 的意思是“尝试做某事”Try using margarine instead of butter.试试用人造黄油来替代动物黄油。n Grammar Try is often passive in this meaning.7  try somebody’s patience FEEL HAPPY/FRIGHTENED/BORED ETCto make someone feel impatient 考验某人的耐心 → trying The programs take too long to load and try the patience of young pupils. 这些程序载入时间太长，会让小学生等得不耐烦。8  try your hand at something TRY something TO SEE IF IT IS GOODto try a new activity in order to see whether it interests you or whether you are good at it 尝试某事 I tried my hand at water-skiing for the first time. 我第一次尝试了滑水运动。9  try your luck TRY something TO SEE IF IT IS GOODto try to achieve something or get something you want, usually by taking a risk 试一试运气 After the war my father went to Canada to try his luck at farming. 战争结束后，我父亲去了加拿大经营农场想碰碰运气。10  try it on (with somebody) British English spoken a) to behave badly in order to find out how bad you can be before people become angry 〔故意表现恶劣以〕试探（某人） She is naughty, that one. She tries it on with me sometimes! 她很调皮，就是那个。 她有时会故意跟我捣蛋试探我的耐性！ b) to attempt to start a sexual relationship with someone 想 （和某人）开始发生性关系 When I came back in, one of the men was trying it on with my wife! 当我回到里面时，其中一个男人正想搞我的老婆！n GRAMMAR: Comparisontry to do something• If you try to do something, you attempt to do it: We must try to prevent this from happening again.try doing something• If you try doing something, you do it in order to find out if it is enjoyable or produces the result you want: I’ve never tried bungee jumping.Try using margarine instead of butter. n COLLOCATIONSadverbshardShe was trying hard not to show her impatience.desperatelyThey try desperately to please other people.unsuccessfully/in vainHe has tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking.try your best/hardest (=make as much effort as possible)Try your best to block out other distractions. THESAURUStry to take action in order to do something that you may not be able to do 试图；努力I tried to explain what was wrong. 我试图解释出了什么岔子。He tries hard in class, but he’s finding the work difficult. 他在课堂上很努力，但觉得作业很难。attempt to try to do something, especially something difficult. Attempt is more formal than try and is used especially in written English 试图做〔尤指难事，比try更正式，尤用于书面英语〕Any prisoner who attempts to escape will be shot. 凡试图逃跑的囚犯都将被击毙。He was attempting to climb one of the world’s highest mountains. 他正在试图攀登世界最高的山峰之一。do your best to try as hard as you can to do something 尽全力We will do our best to help them. 我们会尽全力帮助他们。make an effort to do something to try to do something, when you find this difficult 努力做某事It is worth making an effort to master these skills. 花功夫去掌握这些技能是值得的。She made a big effort to be nice to him. 她很努力地对他好。struggle to try very hard to do something that is very difficult, especially for a long time 〔尤指长期〕努力She’s still struggling to give up smoking. 她仍在努力戒烟。Many of these families are struggling to survive. 这些家庭中有许多在勉强维持生计。strive formal to try very hard to achieve something 力求The company must constantly strive for greater efficiency. 公司必须不断力求更高的效率。endeavour British English, endeavor American English /ɪnˈdevə $ -ər/ formal to try hard to do something 尽力Each employee shall endeavour to provide customers with the best service possible. 每一位员工都应尽力向顾客提供最好的服务。have a go/try informal to try to do something, especially when you are not sure that you will succeed 尝试I’m not very good at fixing taps, but I’ll have a go. 修龙头我不太擅长，不过我会尝试一下。Do you want to have another try? 你要再试一次吗？see if you can do something spoken to try to do something – used when offering to do something, or suggesting that someone should do something 看看你能否做某事I’ll see if I can get you a ticket. 我看看是否能为你弄张票。See if you can persuade her to come. 看看你能不能劝她来。 PHRASAL VERBS11 try for something phrasal verb British English TRY TO DO OR GET somethingto try and get something you really want, such as a job, a prize, or a chance to study somewhere 试图获得；争取，谋求 I decided I must try for some paid work. 我下决心一定要找份有薪酬的工作。 We have been trying for a baby (=trying to have a baby) for nine years. 九年来我们一直在努力想要个孩子。12 try something ↔ on phrasal verb PUT ON CLOTHESto put on a piece of clothing to see if it fits you or if it suits you, especially in a shop 〔尤在商店里〕试穿，试戴 Meg was trying on some red sandals. 梅格在试穿一双红色的凉鞋。13 try something ↔ out phrasal verb a) TEST/EXPERIMENTto test something such as a method or a piece of equipment to see if it is effective or works properly 试用；试验；检验 → try-out I’m trying out a new computer. 我在试用一台新电脑。b) TEST/EXPERIMENTto practise a skill in order to improve it 练习〔技巧〕 on She enjoyed trying her French out on Jean-Pierre. 她喜欢跟让•皮埃尔练习法语。14 try out for something phrasal verb American English TRY TO DO OR GET somethingto try to be chosen as a member of a team, for a part in a play etc 参加选拔；争取成为〔团队的一员、戏剧的角色等〕 SYN audition for, → tryout In high school, I tried out for all the female leads. 上中学时，我试演过各种女主角。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

try• Harriet picked up the ball and tried a shot at the basket.• I tried aerobics once, but I didn't really enjoy it.• I'm sorry, but Ms. Bouvier is out of the office. Could you try again later.• Have you tried Alison's carrot cake?• I tried all the keys, but none of them would open the door.• I'll tell some jokes to try and cheer him up.• Sorry I didn't phone you. I did try, but your line was busy.• I was trying hard to concentrate, but my mind kept wandering.• There was no answer at his workplace, so Mandy tried his home number.• "Do you like goat's milk?" "I don't know, I've never tried it."• Running is really good exercise - you should try it.• I think you should try planning your essays in rough before you start writing.• Nadine tried six stores before she found the book Sam wanted.• I knocked, then tried the door. It was open, but the room was empty.• I'll go try the phone upstairs.• I went around the back to try the windows, but they were all locked.• Have you tried those new barbecue-flavoured crisps?• His mother tried threats, bribery -- everything, but Danny still refused to go to school.• A gang of youths threw stones and missiles at officers who were trying to break up the display.• If his Mummy tried to come, she was sent away.• Baseball, though, is a bad place to try to find stability.• I tried to get another job but I had no luck.• I think we stayed for about a week just trying to get more and more of a body count.• Another over-eager cat has discovered one of the basic truths of garden life: never try to kill a toad.• He tried to phone for help.• He tried to read some deeper personal message into it.• He tried to walk past me down the stairs, but I stopped him.try to do something• He tried to avoid it, but after the first blow struck, he went after them like a tiger.• Later, he tried to call the reporter near the holidays, and even wrote a lengthy poem.• Horses do try to communicate with us, and they expect us to understand.• They pulled and heaved under the prodding and loud yelling of the teamster who tried to coordinate them.• Like trying to draw with a broken lead.• She tried to forget about what had happened.• He could try to kiss her, Sandi, on the lips.• If the adventurers try to reach location 14 they will have to pass scores of biting faces and clutching hands.• I tried to tell myself it didn't matter.try doing something• "My plant is dying." "Have you tried putting it in a sunnier room?"tried ... handle• He knocked twice on the office door then tried the handle.• He walked up a crazy-paving path and tried the handle.• Throwing the shovel to the ground he tried the handle again.• She tried the handle and found it was not locked.• Faded gold lettering told him this wasn't the one he was looking for, but he tried the handle anyway.• She tried the handle but the door had obviously been bolted from the inside.be tried for something• Twin Otters were tried for a while, but proved uneconomic on short routes.• Winsford Flash will be tried for bream while large roach often take caster and hemp on the Red Lion and Aerosol.• Violence escalated in 1912 and the Pethick-Lawrences and Mrs Pankhurst were tried for conspiracy.• He was tried for murder, and acquitted.• Armstrong was tried for murder at Hereford Assizes.• The Financial Times of Feb. 12 reported that four senior company officials at the pit were to be tried for negligence.• Charles Becker, a policeman who took bribes, was tried for the crime and electrocuted at Sing Sing.• Abu-Jamal was tried for the crime.

Related topics: Other sports

try2 ●●● S3 noun (plural tries) [countable]  1  TRY TO DO OR GET somethingan attempt to do something 〔做某事的〕尝试 She didn’t manage to break the record, but it was a good try. 她没能打破纪录，但这是一次很好的尝试。 ‘You really think you can do that?’ ‘I’m going to have a try.’ “你真的认为你行吗？”“我想试试。” ‘What are the chances for getting tickets now?’ ‘I guess I could give it a try.’ “现在弄到票的希望有多大？”“我想我可以试一试。” It might sound a ludicrous excuse but he thought it was worth a try. 这个借口也许听起来很荒唐，但他觉得可以试试看。on the first/second etc try Only half the students passed the test on their first try. 只有一半的学生是第一次就通过测验的。2  TRY TO DO OR GET somethinga test of something to see if it is suitable or successful or to find out if you like it 尝试〔以决定是否合适或喜欢等〕 I decided to give modelling a try. 我决定试试当模特。 Wines from Apulia’s ancient vineyards are well worth a try. 产自阿普利亚古老葡萄园的葡萄酒很值得一尝。3. DSOfour points won by putting the ball on the ground behind the opponents’ goal line in rugby 〔橄榄球赛中的〕达阵 〔在对方球门线后带球触地得四分〕n COLLOCATIONSverbshave a tryI decided to have one last try.give it a try informalIf your instinct is telling you to give it a try, then go ahead.be worth a try (=be worth trying to do because you may succeed)It’s worth a try – we’ve nothing to lose. adjectivesa good try‘Do you really think you can win?’ ‘I’m going to have a darn good try.’a nice try (=a good try that is not successful)Nice try, Claudia, but not good enough, I’m afraid.somebody’s first/second tryThis is his first try at directing.

Examples from the Corpus

try• If your insomnia is similar to the following examples, you might want to give bright-light therapy a try.• But it is worth a try.• Certainly it was worth a try.• Don't give up yet - have another try.• Beattie put them ahead after two minutes with an opportunist try but Dungait replied for Morpeth.• Centre John Devereux converted, with giant prop Mark Jones then brushing aside two tackles to crash over for the second try.• After several tries, Lou finally reached Sylvia at her office phone number.• Full-back Liley strode into the left-hand corner for a splendid try and there was still a man to spare.• With White converting all the tries, Alton ran out comfortable winners after a terrible start.have a try• Federal authorities have tried to put together a criminal case against Zimmermann ever since.• But area fishermen have tried everything to hook it: worms, corn, artificial lures.• I have tried every which way to get it back down on the bottom.• I have tried to explain that in Claudia's case memory is particularly treacherous, but Letterman likes the idea of ambiguity.• My daughter and son-in-law have tried to have their baby son christened in a local church.• I might have tried a few quick manoeuvres to lose those shadows.• Some providers have tried to cope with this flood by sharply limiting the number of newsgroups they carry.• It is not true that they have tried traditional Keynesian fiscal policy and it hasn't worked.• I can't get the lid off this jar. Do you want to have a try?• We had a go at trying to coax the cat indoors using scraps of food.give ... a try• He says he thought he'd give it a try, but he got stuck.• Our family gave it a try on a recent weekend.• I reckon if I had had a flat and everything I could have given it a try.• Amy had never given up trying to get control of her inheritance.• Producing the links Considerable attention is often given to trying to make sense of an incident.• Oh, Scoonie gave other sports a try.• I sure would like to give it a try.• Look, we've given it a try.From Longman Business Dictionarytrytry /traɪ/ verb (past tense and past participle tried) [transitive usually passive] to examine and judge a legal case, or someone who is thought to be guilty of a crime in a courtSavings-and-loan directors are being tried for fraud.→ See Verb tableOrigin try1 (1200-1300) Old French trier “to pick out, sift”, probably from Late Latin tritare “to rub to pieces”, from Latin terere “to rub”

try1 verb →5 GRAMMAR1 →n GRAMMAR2
→n GRAMMAR3 →n COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1 →PHRASAL VERBS1try2 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1LDOCE OnlineChinese  

Corpus order to in something Business take action to do that

try

I

try¹ S1 W1 /traɪ/ verb (past tense and past participle tried, present participle trying, third person singular tries)1.  ATTEMPT  [intransitive and transitive] to take action in order to do something that you may not be able to do:
    Let’s have a rest and then we’ll try again.
    try to do something
    He tried to control his voice.
    She was trying not to cry.
    try and do something
    Try and take some form of daily exercise.
    try hard/desperately (to do something) (=make a lot of effort to do something)
    She dabbed at her face and tried hard not to sniff.
    I tried everything to lose weight with no success.
    try your best/hardest (to do something) (=make as much effort as possible to do something)
    I tried my best to comfort her.
    I tried and tried (=kept making an effort) and eventually I was offered a job.
    Try as he might (=as hard as he could), he could not get the incident out of his mind.
    it wasn’t for lack/want of trying (=used to say that if someone does not achieve something it is not because they have not tried)
    They didn’t get any goals, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying.
    you couldn’t do something if you tried (=used to say that someone does not have the skill or ability to do something)
    She couldn’t speak French if she tried.
2.  TEST/USE  [transitive] to do or use something for a short while to discover if it is suitable, successful, enjoyable etc:
    It works really well – you should try it.
    try doing something
    They decided they would try living in America for a while.
    Try logging off and logging on again.
    try something new/different (=do or use something that is different from what you usually do or use)
    If I'm going out for a meal, I prefer to try something different.
    try something on somebody/something
    We tried the machine on hardwood and soft wood.
    try somebody on something
    Petra’s trying the baby on solid foods.
    try something for size (=put on a piece of clothing or test something to find out if it is the correct size or suitable)
    Always try a sleeping bag for size before you buy it.
  GRAMMAR
    If you try to do something, you attempt to succeed in doing it:
   ▪ We must try to prevent this happening.
    If you try doing something, you do it in order to find out if it is enjoyable or produces the result you want:
   ▪ Try using margarine instead of butter.
3.  FOOD/DRINK  [transitive] to taste food or drink to find out if you like it
   SYN  taste:
    Would you like to try some crisps?
4.  TRY TO FIND SOMEBODY/SOMETHING  [intransitive and transitive] to go to a place or person, or call them, in order to find something or someone:
    Sorry, he’s not in. Would you like to try again later?
    Let’s try Mouncy Street. He could be there.
5.  DOOR/WINDOW  [transitive] to attempt to open a door, window etc in order to see if it is locked:
    She tried the door and it opened.
    He tried the handle but the door was locked.
6.  LAW  [transitive usually passive] to examine and judge a legal case, or someone who is thought to be guilty of a crime in a court ⇨ trial
    be tried for something
    He was tried for attempting to murder his wife.
    The defence argued that a regional court was not competent to try their case.
7. try sb’s patience to make someone feel impatient ⇨ trying:
    The programs take too long to load and try the patience of young pupils.
8. try your hand at something to try a new activity in order to see whether it interests you or whether you are good at it:
    I tried my hand at water-skiing for the first time.
9. try your luck to try to achieve something or get something you want, usually by taking a risk:
    After the war my father went to Canada to try his luck at farming.
10. try it on (with somebody) British English spoken
  a. to behave badly in order to find out how bad you can be before people become angry:
    She is naughty, that one. She tries it on with me sometimes!
  b. to attempt to start a sexual relationship with someone:
    When I came back in, one of the men was trying it on with my wife!
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ adverbs
   ▪ hard She was trying hard not to show her impatience.
   ▪ desperately They try desperately to please other people.
   ▪ unsuccessfully/in vain He has tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking.
   ▪ try your best/hardest (=make as much effort as possible) Try your best to block out other distractions.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ try to take action in order to do something that you may not be able to do: I tried to explain what was wrong. | He tries hard in class, but he’s finding the work difficult.
   ▪ attempt to try to do something, especially something difficult. Attempt is more formal than try and is used especially in written English: Any prisoner who attempts to escape will be shot. | He was attempting to climb one of the world’s highest mountains.
   ▪ do your best to try as hard as you can to do something: We will do our best to help them.
   ▪ make an effort to do something to try to do something, when you find this difficult: It is worth making an effort to master these skills. | She made a big effort to be nice to him.
   ▪ struggle to try very hard to do something that is very difficult, especially for a long time: She’s still struggling to give up smoking. | Many of these families are struggling to survive.
   ▪ strive formal to try very hard to achieve something: The company must constantly strive for greater efficiency.
   ▪ endeavour British English, endeavor American English /ɪnˈdevə $ -ər/ formal to try hard to do something: Each employee shall endeavour to provide customers with the best service possible.
   ▪ have a go/try informal to try to do something, especially when you are not sure that you will succeed: I’m not very good at fixing taps, but I’ll have a go. | Do you want to have another try?
   ▪ see if you can do something spoken to try to do something – used when offering to do something, or suggesting that someone should do something: I’ll see if I can get you a ticket. | See if you can persuade her to come.
     
try for something phrasal verb British English
  to try and get something you really want, such as a job, a prize, or a chance to study somewhere:
    I decided I must try for some paid work.
    We have been trying for a baby (=trying to have a baby) for nine years.
try something ↔ on phrasal verb
  to put on a piece of clothing to see if it fits you or if it suits you, especially in a shop:
    Meg was trying on some red sandals.
try something ↔ out phrasal verb
  1. to test something such as a method or a piece of equipment to see if it is effective or works properly ⇨ try-out:
    I’m trying out a new computer.
  2. to practise a skill in order to improve it
    try something ↔ out on
    She enjoyed trying her French out on Jean-Pierre.
try out for something phrasal verb American English
  to try to be chosen as a member of a team, for a part in a play etc
   SYN  audition for ⇨ tryout:
    In high school, I tried out for all the female leads.

II

try² S3 noun (plural tries) [countable]1. an attempt to do something:
    She didn’t manage to break the record, but it was a good try.
    ‘You really think you can do that?’ ‘I’m going to have a try.’
    ‘What are the chances for getting tickets now?’ ‘I guess I could give it a try.’
    It might sound a ludicrous excuse but he thought it was worth a try.
    on the first/second etc try
    Only half the students passed the test on their first try.
2. a test of something to see if it is suitable or successful or to find out if you like it:
    I decided to give modelling a try.
    Wines from Apulia’s ancient vineyards are well worth a try.
3. four points won by putting the ball on the ground behind the opponents’goal line in rugby
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ have a try I decided to have one last try.
   ▪ give it a try informal If your instinct is telling you to give it a try, then go ahead.
   ▪ be worth a try (=be worth trying to do because you may succeed) It’s worth a try – we’ve nothing to lose.
■ adjectives
   ▪ a good try ‘Do you really think you can win?’ ‘I’m going to have a darn good try.’
   ▪ a nice try (=a good try that is not successful) Nice try, Claudia, but not good enough, I’m afraid.
   ▪ sb’s first/second try This is his first try at directing.