college try

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Cassidy gave the suck-up routine the old college try, but ultimately, the snake did its snake thing.

From Slate • Jan. 21, 2026

Newcomer Brandon Routh gave rebooting the hero the old college try in 2006’s “Superman Returns,” but the romance-forward nature of the film ironically left audiences cold.

From Salon • Jul. 10, 2025

That said, you can hardly blame Zuckerberg for wanting to give it the old college try.

From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2022

But the Mariners are giving it the old college try.

From Seattle Times • May 23, 2019

Probably he had said to someone to give something the old college try, and that had finished him; that would probably be grounds for expulsion at Harvard.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles