college try

noun

: a zealous all-out effort

Examples of college try in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Given one more college try, Kelly will get another chance to live up to his championship pledge. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023 Whether the classic test will catch on is anybody’s guess, but credit to its creators, and Florida, for giving it the college try. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2023 After a college try at filmmaking retirement, the Oscar-winning director is now more prolific than ever. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 29 July 2023 Your boyfriend has given it the old college try. Wayne and Wanda, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Apr. 2022 At least Congress can give it the old college try. Andrew Zimbalist, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021 The old college try: After falling short of his goal last year, U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez is reintroducing a bipartisan bill that would let college athletes across the country be compensated for their names, images and likenesses without being banned from competition, Sabrina Eaton writes. Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 21 Apr. 2021 San Diego State gave it the ol’ college try, leading No. 9 Arkansas by 13 in the first half and by eight with five minutes to go and by four inside 15 seconds to go before surrendering a tying shot at the regulation buzzer and losing 78-74 in OT. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2022 As a refresher, below is a good ol’ college try of the full timeline of the Don’t Worry Darling Drama. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'college try.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from the phrase "give it the old college try"

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of college try was in 1918

Dictionary Entries Near college try

Cite this Entry

“College try.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/college%20try. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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