1 A2 neutral
To put on a garment or accessory temporarily to check if it fits or suits you, usually before buying.
"She tried on five different dresses before finding the right one for the wedding."
separable
try on
A2 neutral separable transitive
To put on a piece of clothing or accessory temporarily to see if it fits or looks good before deciding whether to buy or keep it.
In plain English
To put on clothes or shoes to see if they fit and look nice before you decide to buy them.
What does "try on" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
Figurative: to experiment with or test an idea, role, or identity to see if it suits you.
"During her gap year, she tried on several different career paths before settling on medicine."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To put on a garment (onto your body) as a test.
Actually means
To put on clothes or shoes to see if they fit and look nice before you decide to buy them.
Usage tip
One of the most common phrasal verbs in shopping contexts. The object can be placed between 'try' and 'on' (try it on) or after (try on the jacket). When the object is a pronoun, it must go in the middle: 'try it on', NOT 'try on it'. Very common in retail and everyday speech worldwide.
Words that pair with "try on"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
dress shoes jacket suit hat outfit
How to conjugate "try on"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
try on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tries on
he/she/it
Past simple
tried on
yesterday
Past participle
tried on
have + pp
-ing form
trying on
continuous
Hear "try on" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "try on" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "try on"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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