try for
phrasal verb
tried for; trying for; tries for
: to make an attempt or effort to get (something)
He tried for second place but finished third instead.
Examples of try for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Adelaida Fernandez of Birmingham is trying for her third straight City title in girls’ wrestling.
—
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, a Tarrant County Republican appointed to the office by Abbott and trying for a full term, is running a distant third with 13% of voters polled.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
Ukraine’s arms manufacturers have tried for several years to get the same results on a far tighter budget, and a handful of them took me to see their inventions last week.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
The number of tries for the quadruple Salchow, which is known for how skaters sweep up one leg in front of the other on take-off, rose from two in 2006 to 13 in 2022.
—Robert Samuels, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
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Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, a Tarrant County Republican appointed to the office by Abbott and trying for a full term, is running a distant third with 13% of voters polled.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
Ukraine’s arms manufacturers have tried for several years to get the same results on a far tighter budget, and a handful of them took me to see their inventions last week.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
The number of tries for the quadruple Salchow, which is known for how skaters sweep up one leg in front of the other on take-off, rose from two in 2006 to 13 in 2022.
—Robert Samuels, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for try for
Cite this Entry
“Try for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/try%20for. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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