give it the old college try

phrase

US, old-fashioned

: to use one's very best effort : to try very hard

We can win this game if we give it the old college try!

Examples of give it the old college try in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So, students, here's your chance to give it the old college try! — Janet W. Lee, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025

But he was hired to give it the old college try — one more time, at least. — Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 3 Oct. 2021

Still, the State University System’s Board of Governors is obliged to give it the old college try. — Star Tribune, 28 Sep. 2020