verb

tried

Translation

to try, to attempt, to put on trial

I tried to open the door.

She tried the new recipe.

He was tried for theft.

((to-inf)) to attempt to do sth. He tried to call you.

((-ing)) to do sth. as an experiment Have you tried restarting the computer?

((sth.)) to test or use sth. I tried the soup to see if it needed salt.

Synonyms: attempt, endeavor, strive; Antonyms: give up, quit

From Old French 'trier' (to sort, sift). The sense of 'make an attempt' developed from the idea of 'testing' something.

A 'trial' is a legal process where evidence is 'tried' or tested. 'Tried' is the past tense of this action.