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 writing.

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 contexts.

Try followed by and instead of to has been in standard use since the 17th century: The Justice Department has decided to try and regulate jury-selection practices.

Jan 20, 2026 · Use the C# throw statement to signal an occurrence of an exception. Use the C# try statements to catch and process exceptions occurred in a block of code.

The meaning of try. Definition of try. English dictionary and integrated thesaurus for learners, writers, teachers, and students with advanced, intermediate, and beginner levels.

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

Jan 20, 2026 · 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 idiomatic form.

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.