retry

1 of 2

verb

re·​try (ˌ)rē-ˈtrī 

retried; retrying

1

transitive + intransitive : to try (something) again to see if it is successful, working, or satisfactory

He retried downloading the program.

Turn the device and the router off for at least ten seconds, then turn them back on and retry the connection.

—Ankit Banerjee

a restaurant that might be worth retrying

After a certain number of failed attempts, the system will stop retrying.

2

transitive law : to try (someone or something) judicially for a second time

Prosecutors decided to retry the case.

retry a defendant

He was retried on the manslaughter charge.

retry

2 of 2

noun

re·​try ˈrē-ˌtrī 

plural retries

: a new attempt or try

The website loaded on the third retry.

Examples of retry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Prosecutors could also decide to retry Clancy or seek a plea agreement on lower charges, according to Shira Diner, a lecturer at Boston University School of Law. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

The District Attorney retried the case, and Cosby was found guilty in April 2018 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison five months later. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026

Noun

These include retry limits, rate controls, circuit breakers and dependency protection mechanisms. — Sibasis Padhi, Forbes.com, 8 June 2026

For example, when a task failed mid-action, such as picking up an object unsuccessfully, the system could recognize the failure and retry without prior training on that specific scenario. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1960, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for retry

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Legal Definition

retry

transitive verb

re·​try

ˌrē-ˈtrī

retried; retrying

: to try again