tryna
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Written form of a reduction of trying to. The pronunciation of present participles with the sound /n/ rather than /ŋ/ has a long history (see g-dropping on Wikipedia).
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ˈtɹaɪ(ə)nə/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -aɪnə
Contraction[edit]
tryna
- (slang) trying to, intending to
- 1993, “U.N.I.T.Y.”, in Black Reign, performed by Queen Latifah:
- Every time I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho / Tryna make a sister feel low / You know all of that gots to go
- 2001, Adam F featuring MOP (lyrics and music), “Stand Clear”:
- You get caught in the middle, tryna dribble on my court
- 2007 February 4, Kelefa Sanneh, “Friends, Feuds, Yelps, Sobs and a Swedish Nightingale”, in New York Times[1]:
- […] Mr. Kelly’s verse outshines all the others (“I’m tryna keep it R&B/But these streets is a part of me,” he sings, ascending into falsetto); he gives the chorus a tuneful makeover too.
- 2019, Amanda Koci, Henry Walter, Charlie Puth, Maria Smith, Victor Thellm Gigi Grombacher, Roland Spreckle (lyrics and music), “So Am I”, performed by Ava Max:
- You're beautiful, but misunderstood
So why you tryna be just like the neighborhood?