effort
Americannoun
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efforts
plural
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exertion of physical or mental power.
It will take great effort to achieve victory.
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an earnest or strenuous attempt.
an effort to keep to the schedule.
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something done by exertion or hard work.
I thought it would be easy, but it was an effort.
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an achievement, as in literature or art.
The painting is one of his finest efforts.
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the amount of exertion expended for a specified purpose.
the war effort.
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Chiefly British.
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an organized community drive or achievement.
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a fund-raising drive.
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Mechanics. the force or energy that is applied to a machine for the accomplishment of useful work.
noun
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physical or mental exertion, usually considerable when unqualified
the rock was moved with effort
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a determined attempt
our effort to save him failed
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achievement; creation
a great literary effort
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physics an applied force acting against inertia
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Force applied against inertia.
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The force needed by a machine in order to accomplish work on a load.
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Compare load
Synonym Usage
Effort, application, endeavor, exertion imply actions directed or force expended toward a definite end. Effort is an expenditure of energy to accomplish some objective: He made an effort to control himself. Application is continuous effort plus careful attention: constant application to duties. Endeavor means a continued and sustained series of efforts to achieve some, often worthy and difficult, end: a constant endeavor to be useful. Exertion is the vigorous and often strenuous expenditure of energy, frequently without an end: out of breath from exertion.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of effort
First recorded in 1480–90; from Middle French, from Old French esfort, esforz, derivative of esforcier “to force” ( es- ex- 1 + forcier force )
Explanation
Effort has to do with how much work you're putting into something. A great achievement can also be considered a great effort. Effort has to do with how hard you're trying. If something is easy, it doesn't take much effort. If it's hard, it takes a lot of effort. Effort is about trying to get something done, even if it doesn't always work out. In sports, coaches don't like losing, but they really hate it when the players aren't giving much effort. There are also large scale, collective efforts, like the effort to cure cancer.
Vocabulary lists containing effort
Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
An effort to pay his legal bills resulted in a bribery investigation when he accepted $100,000 from a former client under investigation by his office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
They will also look at an exhibition that shows the huge scale of the rescue effort.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Manifestation doesn’t mean something we want pops out of thin air just because we think about it; it means hard work and relentless effort.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
That level of effort does not require an exhausting workout.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
He made no effort to try to keep the hot hope from his voice.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
“Chinese car makers are widely expected to ramp up their efforts to establish domestic production in Europe to bypass the import quota,” Chief Europe Economist Angel Talavera writes in the report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
He created The Mitte Foundation as well, to support philanthropic efforts and community initiatives, using his platform "to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities", Reilly said.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The statement added that Mitte was an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, and he served as served as president of the Mitte Foundation, which supported philanthropic efforts and community initiatives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Cerutti was speaking ahead of a UN biodiversity summit which will look at efforts made by countries to protect 30 percent of the world's land and oceans by 2030, dubbed the 30x30 goal.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
This led to the establishment of the Apollo space program, and everyone’s efforts shifted, since now our entire nation would be reaching for the moon.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
