try on

try  (tr)

v. tried (trd), try·ing, tries (trz)

v.tr.

1. To make an effort to do or accomplish (something); attempt: tried to ski.

2. To taste, sample, or otherwise test in order to determine strength, effect, worth, or desirability: Try this casserole. Try the door.

3. Law

a. To examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process.

b. To put (an accused person) on trial.

4. To subject to great strain or hardship; tax: The last steep ascent tried my every muscle.

5. To melt (lard, for example) to separate out impurities; render.

6. To smooth, fit, or align accurately.

v.intr.

To make an effort; strive.

n. pl. tries (trz)

1. An attempt; an effort.

2. Sports In Rugby, an act of advancing the ball past the opponent's goal line and grounding it there for a score of three points.

Phrasal Verbs:

try on

1. To don (a garment) to test its fit.

2. To test or use experimentally.

try out

1. To undergo a competitive qualifying test, as for a job or athletic team.

2. To test or use experimentally.

Idiom:

try (one's) hand

To attempt to do something for the first time: I tried my hand at skiing.

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[Middle English trien, from Old French trier, to pick out, from Vulgar Latin *trire.]

Usage Note: The phrase try and is commonly used as a substitute for try to, as in Could you try and make less noise? A number of grammarians have labeled the construction incorrect. To be sure, the usage is associated with informal style and strikes an inappropriately conversational note in formal writing. Sixty-five percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use in writing of the sentence Why don't you try and see if you can work the problem out between yourselves?

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try on

Verb

1. to put on (a garment) to find out whether it fits

2. try it on Informal to attempt to deceive or fool someone

Noun

try-on

Brit informal something done to test out a person's tolerance etc.

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

try on - put on a garment in order to see whether it fits and looks nice; "Try on this sweater to see how it looks" try don, put on, get into, wear, assume - put clothing on one's body; "What should I wear today?"; "He put on his best suit for the wedding"; "The princess donned a long blue dress"; "The queen assumed the stately robes"; "He got into his jeans"