diff --git a/runtime/class_linker.cc b/runtime/class_linker.cc
index d0dad64..f13fea0 100644
--- a/runtime/class_linker.cc
+++ b/runtime/class_linker.cc
@@ -2179,20 +2179,33 @@
   }
 
   // Wait for the class if it has not already been linked.
-  if (!klass->IsResolved() && !klass->IsErroneous()) {
+  size_t index = 0;
+  // Maximum number of yield iterations until we start sleeping.
+  static const size_t kNumYieldIterations = 1000;
+  // How long each sleep is in us.
+  static const size_t kSleepDurationUS = 1000;  // 1 ms.
+  while (!klass->IsResolved() && !klass->IsErroneous()) {
     StackHandleScope<1> hs(self);
     HandleWrapper<mirror::Class> h_class(hs.NewHandleWrapper(&klass));
-    ObjectLock<mirror::Class> lock(self, h_class);
-    // Check for circular dependencies between classes.
-    if (!h_class->IsResolved() && h_class->GetClinitThreadId() == self->GetTid()) {
-      ThrowClassCircularityError(h_class.Get());
-      mirror::Class::SetStatus(h_class, mirror::Class::kStatusError, self);
-      return nullptr;
+    {
+      ObjectTryLock<mirror::Class> lock(self, h_class);
+      // Can not use a monitor wait here since it may block when returning and deadlock if another
+      // thread has locked klass.
+      if (lock.Acquired()) {
+        // Check for circular dependencies between classes, the lock is required for SetStatus.
+        if (!h_class->IsResolved() && h_class->GetClinitThreadId() == self->GetTid()) {
+          ThrowClassCircularityError(h_class.Get());
+          mirror::Class::SetStatus(h_class, mirror::Class::kStatusError, self);
+          return nullptr;
+        }
+      }
     }
-    // Wait for the pending initialization to complete.
-    while (!h_class->IsResolved() && !h_class->IsErroneous()) {
-      lock.WaitIgnoringInterrupts();
+    if (index < kNumYieldIterations) {
+      sched_yield();
+    } else {
+      usleep(kSleepDurationUS);
     }
+    ++index;
   }
 
   if (klass->IsErroneous()) {
diff --git a/runtime/mirror/object-inl.h b/runtime/mirror/object-inl.h
index 76a36ac..e1097fa 100644
--- a/runtime/mirror/object-inl.h
+++ b/runtime/mirror/object-inl.h
@@ -106,7 +106,11 @@
 }
 
 inline mirror::Object* Object::MonitorEnter(Thread* self) {
-  return Monitor::MonitorEnter(self, this);
+  return Monitor::MonitorEnter(self, this, /*trylock*/false);
+}
+
+inline mirror::Object* Object::MonitorTryEnter(Thread* self) {
+  return Monitor::MonitorEnter(self, this, /*trylock*/true);
 }
 
 inline bool Object::MonitorExit(Thread* self) {
diff --git a/runtime/mirror/object.h b/runtime/mirror/object.h
index 0ee46c3..e174cbc 100644
--- a/runtime/mirror/object.h
+++ b/runtime/mirror/object.h
@@ -140,6 +140,11 @@
       SHARED_REQUIRES(Locks::mutator_lock_);
   uint32_t GetLockOwnerThreadId();
 
+  // Try to enter the monitor, returns non null if we succeeded.
+  mirror::Object* MonitorTryEnter(Thread* self)
+      EXCLUSIVE_LOCK_FUNCTION()
+      REQUIRES(!Roles::uninterruptible_)
+      SHARED_REQUIRES(Locks::mutator_lock_);
   mirror::Object* MonitorEnter(Thread* self)
       EXCLUSIVE_LOCK_FUNCTION()
       REQUIRES(!Roles::uninterruptible_)
diff --git a/runtime/monitor.cc b/runtime/monitor.cc
index 396c946..bf9f931 100644
--- a/runtime/monitor.cc
+++ b/runtime/monitor.cc
@@ -314,21 +314,34 @@
   return oss.str();
 }
 
+bool Monitor::TryLockLocked(Thread* self) {
+  if (owner_ == nullptr) {  // Unowned.
+    owner_ = self;
+    CHECK_EQ(lock_count_, 0);
+    // When debugging, save the current monitor holder for future
+    // acquisition failures to use in sampled logging.
+    if (lock_profiling_threshold_ != 0) {
+      locking_method_ = self->GetCurrentMethod(&locking_dex_pc_);
+    }
+  } else if (owner_ == self) {  // Recursive.
+    lock_count_++;
+  } else {
+    return false;
+  }
+  AtraceMonitorLock(self, GetObject(), false /* is_wait */);
+  return true;
+}
+
+bool Monitor::TryLock(Thread* self) {
+  MutexLock mu(self, monitor_lock_);
+  return TryLockLocked(self);
+}
+
 void Monitor::Lock(Thread* self) {
   MutexLock mu(self, monitor_lock_);
   while (true) {
-    if (owner_ == nullptr) {  // Unowned.
-      owner_ = self;
-      CHECK_EQ(lock_count_, 0);
-      // When debugging, save the current monitor holder for future
-      // acquisition failures to use in sampled logging.
-      if (lock_profiling_threshold_ != 0) {
-        locking_method_ = self->GetCurrentMethod(&locking_dex_pc_);
-      }
-      break;
-    } else if (owner_ == self) {  // Recursive.
-      lock_count_++;
-      break;
+    if (TryLockLocked(self)) {
+      return;
     }
     // Contended.
     const bool log_contention = (lock_profiling_threshold_ != 0);
@@ -430,8 +443,6 @@
     monitor_lock_.Lock(self);  // Reacquire locks in order.
     --num_waiters_;
   }
-
-  AtraceMonitorLock(self, GetObject(), false /* is_wait */);
 }
 
 static void ThrowIllegalMonitorStateExceptionF(const char* fmt, ...)
@@ -852,7 +863,7 @@
   return obj;
 }
 
-mirror::Object* Monitor::MonitorEnter(Thread* self, mirror::Object* obj) {
+mirror::Object* Monitor::MonitorEnter(Thread* self, mirror::Object* obj, bool trylock) {
   DCHECK(self != nullptr);
   DCHECK(obj != nullptr);
   self->AssertThreadSuspensionIsAllowable();
@@ -898,6 +909,9 @@
             InflateThinLocked(self, h_obj, lock_word, 0);
           }
         } else {
+          if (trylock) {
+            return nullptr;
+          }
           // Contention.
           contention_count++;
           Runtime* runtime = Runtime::Current();
@@ -916,8 +930,12 @@
       }
       case LockWord::kFatLocked: {
         Monitor* mon = lock_word.FatLockMonitor();
-        mon->Lock(self);
-        return h_obj.Get();  // Success!
+        if (trylock) {
+          return mon->TryLock(self) ? h_obj.Get() : nullptr;
+        } else {
+          mon->Lock(self);
+          return h_obj.Get();  // Success!
+        }
       }
       case LockWord::kHashCode:
         // Inflate with the existing hashcode.
diff --git a/runtime/monitor.h b/runtime/monitor.h
index 7b4b8f9..1d829e1 100644
--- a/runtime/monitor.h
+++ b/runtime/monitor.h
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
       NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS;  // TODO: Reading lock owner without holding lock is racy.
 
   // NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS for mon->Lock.
-  static mirror::Object* MonitorEnter(Thread* thread, mirror::Object* obj)
+  static mirror::Object* MonitorEnter(Thread* thread, mirror::Object* obj, bool trylock)
       EXCLUSIVE_LOCK_FUNCTION(obj)
       NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS
       REQUIRES(!Roles::uninterruptible_)
@@ -193,6 +193,15 @@
                !monitor_lock_)
       SHARED_REQUIRES(Locks::mutator_lock_);
 
+  // Try to lock without blocking, returns true if we acquired the lock.
+  bool TryLock(Thread* self)
+      REQUIRES(!monitor_lock_)
+      SHARED_REQUIRES(Locks::mutator_lock_);
+  // Variant for already holding the monitor lock.
+  bool TryLockLocked(Thread* self)
+      REQUIRES(monitor_lock_)
+      SHARED_REQUIRES(Locks::mutator_lock_);
+
   void Lock(Thread* self)
       REQUIRES(!monitor_lock_)
       SHARED_REQUIRES(Locks::mutator_lock_);
diff --git a/runtime/monitor_test.cc b/runtime/monitor_test.cc
index 83e0c0d..48d256c 100644
--- a/runtime/monitor_test.cc
+++ b/runtime/monitor_test.cc
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "handle_scope-inl.h"
 #include "mirror/class-inl.h"
 #include "mirror/string-inl.h"  // Strings are easiest to allocate
+#include "object_lock.h"
 #include "scoped_thread_state_change.h"
 #include "thread_pool.h"
 
@@ -374,4 +375,60 @@
                   "Monitor test thread pool 3");
 }
 
+class TryLockTask : public Task {
+ public:
+  explicit TryLockTask(Handle<mirror::Object> obj) : obj_(obj) {}
+
+  void Run(Thread* self) {
+    ScopedObjectAccess soa(self);
+    // Lock is held by other thread, try lock should fail.
+    ObjectTryLock<mirror::Object> lock(self, obj_);
+    EXPECT_FALSE(lock.Acquired());
+  }
+
+  void Finalize() {
+    delete this;
+  }
+
+ private:
+  Handle<mirror::Object> obj_;
+};
+
+// Test trylock in deadlock scenarios.
+TEST_F(MonitorTest, TestTryLock) {
+  ScopedLogSeverity sls(LogSeverity::FATAL);
+
+  Thread* const self = Thread::Current();
+  ThreadPool thread_pool("the pool", 2);
+  ScopedObjectAccess soa(self);
+  StackHandleScope<3> hs(self);
+  Handle<mirror::Object> obj1(
+      hs.NewHandle<mirror::Object>(mirror::String::AllocFromModifiedUtf8(self, "hello, world!")));
+  Handle<mirror::Object> obj2(
+      hs.NewHandle<mirror::Object>(mirror::String::AllocFromModifiedUtf8(self, "hello, world!")));
+  {
+    ObjectLock<mirror::Object> lock1(self, obj1);
+    ObjectLock<mirror::Object> lock2(self, obj1);
+    {
+      ObjectTryLock<mirror::Object> trylock(self, obj1);
+      EXPECT_TRUE(trylock.Acquired());
+    }
+    // Test failure case.
+    thread_pool.AddTask(self, new TryLockTask(obj1));
+    thread_pool.StartWorkers(self);
+    ScopedThreadSuspension sts(self, kSuspended);
+    thread_pool.Wait(Thread::Current(), /*do_work*/false, /*may_hold_locks*/false);
+  }
+  // Test that the trylock actually locks the object.
+  {
+    ObjectTryLock<mirror::Object> trylock(self, obj1);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(trylock.Acquired());
+    obj1->Notify(self);
+    // Since we hold the lock there should be no monitor state exeception.
+    self->AssertNoPendingException();
+  }
+  thread_pool.StopWorkers(self);
+}
+
+
 }  // namespace art
diff --git a/runtime/object_lock.cc b/runtime/object_lock.cc
index f7accc0..b8754a4 100644
--- a/runtime/object_lock.cc
+++ b/runtime/object_lock.cc
@@ -47,7 +47,22 @@
   obj_->NotifyAll(self_);
 }
 
+template <typename T>
+ObjectTryLock<T>::ObjectTryLock(Thread* self, Handle<T> object) : self_(self), obj_(object) {
+  CHECK(object.Get() != nullptr);
+  acquired_ = obj_->MonitorTryEnter(self_) != nullptr;
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+ObjectTryLock<T>::~ObjectTryLock() {
+  if (acquired_) {
+    obj_->MonitorExit(self_);
+  }
+}
+
 template class ObjectLock<mirror::Class>;
 template class ObjectLock<mirror::Object>;
+template class ObjectTryLock<mirror::Class>;
+template class ObjectTryLock<mirror::Object>;
 
 }  // namespace art
diff --git a/runtime/object_lock.h b/runtime/object_lock.h
index eb7cbd8..7f02b37 100644
--- a/runtime/object_lock.h
+++ b/runtime/object_lock.h
@@ -45,6 +45,27 @@
   DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(ObjectLock);
 };
 
+template <typename T>
+class ObjectTryLock {
+ public:
+  ObjectTryLock(Thread* self, Handle<T> object) SHARED_REQUIRES(Locks::mutator_lock_);
+
+  ~ObjectTryLock() SHARED_REQUIRES(Locks::mutator_lock_);
+
+  bool Acquired() const {
+    return acquired_;
+  }
+
+ private:
+  Thread* const self_;
+  Handle<T> const obj_;
+  bool acquired_;
+
+
+  DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(ObjectTryLock);
+};
+
+
 }  // namespace art
 
 #endif  // ART_RUNTIME_OBJECT_LOCK_H_