"take a stab at" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "takes a stab at",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "taking a stab at",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "took a stab at",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "taken a stab at",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "take<,,took,taken> a stab at"
      },
      "expansion": "take a stab at (third-person singular simple present takes a stab at, present participle taking a stab at, simple past took a stab at, past participle taken a stab at)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "76 15 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 12 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English positive polarity items",
          "parents": [
            "Positive polarity items",
            "Terms by semantic function"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "75 12 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "83 9 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Would you like to take a stab at explaining the theory?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1978 July 9, Robert Lekachman, “Welfare Needs Help”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "Jimmy Carter is the third President in a row to take a stab at reforming the “welfare mess” — an almost obligatory pejorative of political oratory.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To attempt or try."
      ],
      "id": "en-take_a_stab_at-en-verb-L6O4fmxF",
      "links": [
        [
          "attempt",
          "attempt"
        ],
        [
          "try",
          "try"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To attempt or try."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 2 2",
          "sense": "attempt or try",
          "word": "take a run at"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 2 2",
          "sense": "attempt or try",
          "word": "give something a go"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 2 2",
          "sense": "attempt or try",
          "word": "give something a try"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 2 2",
          "sense": "attempt or try",
          "word": "give something a stab"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'll take a stab at the answer, but I don't really know for sure.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To guess."
      ],
      "id": "en-take_a_stab_at-en-verb-DCrVpbkn",
      "links": [
        [
          "guess",
          "guess"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To guess."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see take, stab."
      ],
      "id": "en-take_a_stab_at-en-verb-qWX1yjHN",
      "links": [
        [
          "take",
          "take#English"
        ],
        [
          "stab",
          "stab#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-take a stab at.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/En-au-take_a_stab_at.ogg/En-au-take_a_stab_at.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/En-au-take_a_stab_at.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "take a stab at"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English positive polarity items",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "takes a stab at",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "taking a stab at",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "took a stab at",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "taken a stab at",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "take<,,took,taken> a stab at"
      },
      "expansion": "take a stab at (third-person singular simple present takes a stab at, present participle taking a stab at, simple past took a stab at, past participle taken a stab at)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Would you like to take a stab at explaining the theory?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1978 July 9, Robert Lekachman, “Welfare Needs Help”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "Jimmy Carter is the third President in a row to take a stab at reforming the “welfare mess” — an almost obligatory pejorative of political oratory.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To attempt or try."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "attempt",
          "attempt"
        ],
        [
          "try",
          "try"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To attempt or try."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'll take a stab at the answer, but I don't really know for sure.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To guess."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "guess",
          "guess"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To guess."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see take, stab."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "take",
          "take#English"
        ],
        [
          "stab",
          "stab#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-take a stab at.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/En-au-take_a_stab_at.ogg/En-au-take_a_stab_at.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/En-au-take_a_stab_at.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "attempt or try",
      "word": "take a run at"
    },
    {
      "sense": "attempt or try",
      "word": "give something a go"
    },
    {
      "sense": "attempt or try",
      "word": "give something a try"
    },
    {
      "sense": "attempt or try",
      "word": "give something a stab"
    }
  ],
  "word": "take a stab at"
}