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nice try

noun

: a good effort or attempt to do something
Nice try. I'm sure you'll do better next time.
usually used in an ironic way to say that an attempt at something was not very good or was not a nice thing to do
Nice try, but you're not going to trick me this time.

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Cite this Entry

“Nice try.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nice%20try. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

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