earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"
attempt
How to use attempt in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for attempt.
Editorial note
There's a lot of complexity here I'm going to attempt to simplify.
Quick take
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of attempt gathered in one view.
the act of attacking; "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life"
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"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for attempt.
noun
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"
noun
the act of attacking; "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life"
See also: attack
verb
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"
verb
enter upon an activity or enterprise
See also: undertake
Example sentences
There's a lot of complexity here I'm going to attempt to simplify.
Look at the FDA's attempt to deny[5] people access to their genome without a prescription.
Accordingly, you're barred from attempting to collect on it.
" The CRA will get in touch with the debt collection company, have their attempt timeout, and nuke the trade line.
I make every attempt to keep these jokes private between my friends and I, but I'm sure others have heard me make them.
One commentator is attempting to advance the baseless theory that the bully did not care about the sex of his victim.
" This could have been an opportunity to attempt bring someone, a powerful CEO, to the side of being informed and support gay rights but instead it was a witch hunt and an embarrassment.
Whenever an instance of blatant sexism comes up, an attempt is invariably made to rationalize away the fact that a sexist act has actually occurred.
This meant that he often had to spend his time attempting to herd people towards a common goal, and defending what existed against misconceptions; even having to teach people what it meant to have a protocol at all.
The President clarifies that--despite much of what campaign rhetoric made people believe he thought--his concern is not whether we should be enacting these intelligence gathering programs that target everyone and attempt to hide behind policy rules, not laws.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use attempt in a sentence?
There's a lot of complexity here I'm going to attempt to simplify.
What does attempt mean?
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"
What part of speech is attempt?
attempt is commonly used as noun, verb.