try
1488
1 You can make this verb stronger by using hard:
He tried hard/very hard/very hard indeed. 2 Note the
difference between He tried to open the door (=but he
couldn't) and He tried opening the door (=he opened it,
to see what would happen).
try for sthg. BrE || try out for sthg. AmE– phr v [T] to make
an attempt to get or win; compete for, e.g. by taking part in
a test: She's trying for a scholarship to the university. | I'm
going to try out for football (=attempt to get a place in a
school team) next year. -> see also TRY-OUT
try sthg. <-> on phr v [T] 1 to put on (a garment, hat, shoes
etc) to test the fit, examine the appearance etc 2 try it on
BrE infml to behave in a deceiving or disobedient manner,
especially to discover how much of this behaviour will be
allowed -> see also TRY-ON
try2 n 1 [(at)] an attempt to do something: Let me have a try
(at it). | She didn't manage to break the record, but it was a
good try. | This may not work, but it's worth a try. 2 (in
RUGBY) four points won by touching the ball on the ground
behind the opposing team's GOAL LINE, giving one the right
to try to kick a GOAL
try-ing /'traɪ-ɪŋ/ adj difficult, worrying, or annoying: We've
had a lot of problems in the office recently; it's been (a) very
trying (time) for all of us. -> see also TRY
'try-on n [S] BrE infml an attempt to deceive, especially to see if
someone will believe something false: Ignore his constant
references to not having any money; it's just a try-on. -> see
also try it on (TRY ON)
try-out BrE || tryout AmE /'traɪaʊt/ n [S] infml a trial or test of
fitness for some purpose: Cheerleading tryouts will be held on
Friday afternoon.
tryp·an·o·some /'trɪpənəsəʊm/ n a microscopic creature
which lives in the blood of various animals, including
humans, and causes illnesses, e.g. SLEEPING SICKNESS
'try square n an instrument shaped like a letter L, used for
marking out RIGHT ANGLES and testing whether work, espe-
cially woodwork, is square
tryst /trɪst, traɪst/ n old use or humor 1 an arrangement
between lovers to meet at a secret place or time 2 the
meeting or meeting place arranged by lovers
tsar /zɑːr, tsɑːr/ n a CZAR
tsa·ri·na /zɑː'riːnə, tsɑː-/ n a CZARINA
tsar·is·m /'zɑːrɪzəm, 'tsɑːɪ/ n [U] a CZARISM
TSB /,tiː es 'biː/ trademark abbrev. for the Trustee Savings Bank;
one of the main British banks until 1999 when it merged with
Lloyds to form LLOYDS TSB
tset·se fly, tzetze fly /'tetsi flaɪ, 'tsetsi-, 'set si-/ also
tsetse n a blood-sucking African fly that can cause SLEEPING
SICKNESS and other serious diseases
T-shirt, tee-shirt /'tiː ʃɜːt||'ʃɜːrt/ n a soft, usually cotton
shirt that stretches easily, has short SLEEVES and no collar:
She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
tsk tsk interj a way of writing a sound that is made to show
disapproval
tsp written abbrev. for TEASPOON: one tsp of salt
T-square /'tiː skweər/ n a large piece of wood or plastic
shaped like the letter T, used for drawing exact plans or
pictures
tsu·na·mi /tsu'nɑːmi/ n fml TIDAL WAVE
TT, the /,tiː 'tiː/ abbrev. for Tourist Trophy; a set of British
motorcycle races, held every year on the Isle of Man
tub /tʌb/ n 1 a) a large round open container for washing,
storing etc: an old wooden washing tub | He grows roses in
tubs on the terrace. b) a small often round container for food
etc, usually made of plastic or paper: a tub of marga-
rine 2 infml a BATHTUB 3 infml an awkward slow boat: Is this
old tub going to make it to port? 4 AmE infml a short, fat person:
Their children are all tubs. 5 a tub of lard AmE spoken an
impolite expression used about someone who is short and
very fat (often used by children): 'You're just stupid!' 'Well
you're a tub of lard!' | He's a fat tub of lard, but I love him.
tu·ba /'tjuːbə||'tuːbə/ n a large brass musical instrument that
produces low notes -> see picture at BRASS
tu·bal preg·nan·cy /,tjuːbəl 'pregnənsi||,tuː-/ also
ectopic pregnancy med - n a PREGNANCY in which the
fertilized (FERTILIZE) egg begins to grow in the FALLOPIAN
TUBE instead of in the WOMB. Usually a woman with a tubal
pregnancy must have a medical operation to save her life.
tub·by /'tʌbi/ adj infml rather short and fat -> see FAT (USAGE)
tubes
a cardboard a tube of a tube of a test
tube toothpaste glue tube
tube /tjuːb||tuːb/ n 1 [C] a hollow round pipe of metal,
glass, rubber etc, used especially for carrying or holding
liquids -> see also INNER TUBE, TEST TUBE, TUBING 2 [C(of)] a
small soft metal or plastic container, closed at one end and
fitted with a cap at the other, for holding a soft wet mixture,
such as TOOTHPASTE, paint etc, which is pushed out of the
tube by tightly pressing it: a tube of glue/toothpaste 3 [C] a
hollow pipe or organ in the body: the bronchial
tubes 4 [(the)S] (sometimes cap.) BrE infml for UNDERGROUND: a
tube station/train | She goes to work on the tube/by tube. ->
compare SUBWAY 5 [C] a CATHODE RAY TUBE 6 [the] AmE infml
for TELEVISION 7 [(the)S] infml, especially AustrE a tin of beer 8 go
down the tubes infml, especially AmE to be ruined or brought to
a sudden unwanted end: These welfare programs could go
down the tubes if the Administration has its way.
tube·less /'tjuːbləs||'tuːb-/ adj having no INNER TUBES: tube-
less tyres
tu·ber /'tjuːbə(r)||'tuː-/ n a fleshy swollen underground stem,
such as the potato, from which new plants grow --->ous adj
tu·ber·cu·lar /tjuː'bɜːkjʊlə(r)||tuː'bɜːrn-/ also
tu·ber·cu·lous /tjuː'bɜːkjʊləsləs||tuː'bɜːrn-/ adj of, suffering
from, or causing tuberculosis
tu·ber·cu·lo·sis /,tjuː,bɜːkɪə'ləʊsɪs||,tuː,bɜːrn-/ abbrev. TB n
[U] a serious infectious disease that attacks many parts of the
body, especially the lungs. In the past, tuberculosis was known
as consumption, and it killed many people in the 19th
century. Later in the 20th century it almost disappeared in the
US and UK, but it began to appear again in the 1990s,
especially affecting poor people in New York City and
London.
tub·ing /'tjuːbɪŋ||'tuː-/ n [U] tubes: ten metres of copper
tubing | rubber tubing
Tub·man, Harriet
/'tʌbmən, 'hæriət/ (?1820-
1913) a US SLAVE who
escaped to the northern US
(where slavery was not
allowed) and became an
important member of the
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, a
system for helping slaves
who were trying to escape.
She also worked for the army
of the North in the CIVIL
WAR.
Harriet Tubman
'tub·thum·per n BrE infml a
public speaker who tries to
persuade or interest listeners
by exciting strong or violent
feelings --->ing adj, n [A;U] a
tub-thumping speech
tu·bu·lar /'tjuːbjʊlə(r)||'tuː-/ adj made of or in the form of a
tube or tubes: tubular metal furniture | tubular bells
TUC, the /,tiː juː 'si/ abbrev. for the Trades Union Congress
the association of TRADE UNIONS in the UK. There is a similar
organization in the US called the AFL-CIO.
tuck1 /tʌk/ v [T+obj+adv/prep] 1 to take the edge or end of (.
garment, piece of material etc) and put or push it into a
desired or convenient position, usually a narrow space: Tuck