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

Associated Press Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon had decided to retry all three for the murder of Theresa Fusco, starting with John Kogut, who again pleaded not guilty. —Mary Murphy, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026

In December, prosecutors dropped their efforts to retry Pugh, just as a new trial was set to begin. —ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026

Noun

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

But Iwamoto never gave up and has since been preparing for his retry. —Madison Beveridge, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 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