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try on

A2 neutral separable transitive

In simple words

To put on clothes or shoes to see if they fit and look nice before you decide to buy them.

Literal meaning: To put on a garment (onto your body) as a test.

Meanings

1 A2 neutral

very common

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."

Grammar: separable

2 B2 idiomatic informal

uncommon

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."

Grammar: separable

Usage notes

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.

Commonly used with

dress shoes jacket suit hat outfit

Forms

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

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Synonyms

put on wear fit on slip on model

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