melt (fat or lard) in order to separate out impurities; "try the yak butter"; "render fat in a casserole"
test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!"
give pain or trouble to; "I've been sorely tried by these students"
make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"
state insincerely; "He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt"; "She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber"; "She pretends to be an expert on wine"
confess one's faith in, or allegiance to; "The terrorists professed allegiance to the Muslim faith"; "he professes to be a Communist"
practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about; "She professes organic chemistry"
take vows, as in religious order; "she professed herself as a nun"
receive into a religious order or congregation
state freely; "The teacher professed that he was not generous when it came to giving good grades"
a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition; "he was here for a little while"; "I need to rest for a piece"; "a spell of good weather"; "a patch of bad weather"
continue to live; endure or last; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America"; "The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents"; "how long can a person last without food and water?"
continue in existence after (an adversity, etc.); "He survived the cancer against all odds"
produce synthetically, artificially, or stereotypically and unoriginally
to manufacture sections of (a building), especially in a factory, so that they can be easily transported to and rapidly assembled on a building site of buildings