effort

American  

[ef-ert] / ˈɛf ərt /

noun

1. exertion of physical or mental power.

   It will take great effort to achieve victory.

   Synonyms:

   striving, struggle

2. an earnest or strenuous attempt.

   an effort to keep to the schedule.

3. something done by exertion or hard work.

   I thought it would be easy, but it was an effort.

4. an achievement, as in literature or art.

   The painting is one of his finest efforts.

5. the amount of exertion expended for a specified purpose.

   the war effort.

6. Chiefly British.

   1. an organized community drive or achievement.

   2. a fund-raising drive.

7. Mechanics. the force or energy that is applied to a machine for the accomplishment of useful work.

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effort British  

/ ˈɛfət /

noun

1. physical or mental exertion, usually considerable when unqualified

   the rock was moved with effort

2. a determined attempt

   our effort to save him failed

3. achievement; creation

   a great literary effort

4. physics an applied force acting against inertia

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effort Scientific  

/ ĕf′ərt /

1. Force applied against inertia.

2. The force needed by a machine in order to accomplish work on a load.

3. Compare load

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effort Idioms  

1. see all out (effort); last-ditch effort.

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Related Words

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

• countereffort noun
• effortful adjective
• overeffort noun
• preeffort noun

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.

Example Sentences

Nicolai Marciano, the chief business development officer at Guess, said the effort is about creating more brand equity and building relationships within Coachella’s creative community.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Prices excluding food and energy categories — the so-called core measure economists watch in an effort to better capture inflation’s underlying trend — rose 2.6%, slightly below forecasts for a 2.7% increase.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

And the suit cites Kavanaugh’s previous effort to walk back “Kavanaugh stops” to tell him: You said immigration stops can’t be based on race or ethnicity.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

The new effort, which builds on £73.4m already committed for protective security at Jewish, Muslim and other faith sites for 2026-27, will initially focus on policing in communities, particularly faith communities, across London and Manchester.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Each time, his muscles strained and he grunted from the effort.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Related Words

• achievement
• attempt
• battle
• creation
• endeavor
• exercise
• force
• industry
• intention
• power
• production
• push
• resolution
• struggle
• training