Word.ws English Dictionary

try on for size

try on for size verb: to test an item of clothing by wearing it, to determine if it is the correct size.

Verb

try on for size (third-person singular simple present tries on for size, present participle trying on for size, simple past and past participle tried on for size)

  1. (literally, transitive) To test an item of clothing by wearing it, to determine if it is the correct size.
  2. (figuratively, transitive) To test something for suitability.
  3. (figuratively, transitive) To ponder or consider an idea.
    • "Cool. So obviously that's your outfit's kinda thing, but try this on for size on top of it: I did not forget. I still haven't."2023 October 22, HarryBlank, “Waiting to Happen”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 23 May 2024
  4. (figuratively, imperative, transitive) To receive an imminent attack.
    • Mona: Try this vampire bolt on for size!1999, Mona the Vampire, "The X-Change Student" (season 1, episode 6a)

Forms of try on for size

third-person singular presenttries on for size
present participletrying on for size
past participletried on for size
pasttried on for size
alternative formtry for size

Questions about try on for size

What does try on for size mean?
Try on for size means to test an item of clothing by wearing it, to determine if it is the correct size.
What part of speech is try on for size?
Try on for size is a verb.
What is the past tense of try on for size?
The past tense of try on for size is tried on for size.

Words near try on for size in the dictionary

  1. try it out on the dog
  2. try line
  3. try lines
  4. try me
  5. try on
  6. try on for size
  7. try one's hand
  8. try one's luck
  9. try one's wings
  10. try out
  11. try over

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: try on for size (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “try on for size.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/try_on_for_size. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.