Attempted, tried (7)
I believe the answer is:
essayed
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">I believe this clue is a double definition.<br/ ><br/ >'<span class="explanation-format__original">attempted</span>' is the first definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">('essay' can be a synonym of 'attempt')</span><br/ ><br/ >'<span class="explanation-format__original">tried</span>' is the second definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(to essay something is to attempt it)</span><br/ ><br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for essayed that I've seen before include "Attempted, tried" , "Made formal attempt" , "Had a go" , "Tried (E, not A)" , "Attempted, strove" .)