attempt, effort, endeavor, endeavour, try: earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try" try, seek, attempt, essay, assay: make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world" test, prove, try, try_out, examine, essay: put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe" judge, adjudicate, try: put on trial or hear a case and sit as the judge at the trial of; "The football star was tried for the murder of his wife"; "The judge tried both father and son in separate trials" sample, try, try_out, taste: take a sample of; "Try these new crackers"; "Sample the regional dishes" hear, try: examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process; "The jury had heard all the evidence"; "The case will be tried in California" try: give pain or trouble to; "I've been sorely tried by these students" try, strain, stress: test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!" try, render: melt (fat, lard, etc.) in order to separate out impurities; "try the yak butter"; "render fat in a casserole" try_on, try: put on a garment in order to see whether it fits and looks nice; "Try on this sweater to see how it looks"