attempt

American  

[uh-tempt] / əˈtɛmpt /

verb (used with object)

• attempts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• attempted,
  past participle,  past
• attempting
  present participle

1. to make an effort at; try; undertake; seek.

   to attempt an impossible task; to attempt to walk six miles.

2. Archaic. to attack; move against in a hostile manner.

   to attempt a person's life.

3. Archaic. to tempt.

---

noun

• attempts
  plural

1. an effort made to accomplish something.

   He made an attempt to swim across the lake.

   Synonyms:

   endeavor, try

2. an attack or assault.

   an attempt upon the leader's life.

attempt British  

/ əˈtɛmpt /

verb

1. to make an effort (to do something) or to achieve (something); try

2. to try to surmount (an obstacle)

3. to try to climb

   they will attempt the north wall of the Eiger

4. archaic to attack

5. archaic to tempt

---

noun

1. an endeavour to achieve something; effort

2. a result of an attempt or endeavour

3. an attack, esp with the intention to kill

   an attempt on his life

Usage

What does attempt mean? An attempt is an effort made to complete a task, as in My attempt to go to the concert failed when my car broke down. To attempt means to try to complete a task, as in When Riddhi attempted to run to better her health, she found that she really enjoyed it too. When you attempt something, you are making some kind of effort, whether or not you succeed. To attempt is to try. Example: Louise attempted to make bread, but she forgot to add yeast to the recipe.

Synonym Usage

See try.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• attemptability
  noun
• attempter
  noun
• quasi-attempt
  verb
• reattempt
  verb (used with object)
• attemptable
  adjective
• unattemptable
  adjective
• unattempted
  adjective
• unattempting
  adjective
• well-attempted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• attempts
  plural

Participles

• attempting
  present
• attempted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• attempt
  simple
• attempts
  simple
• have attempted
  perfect
• has attempted
  perfect
• am attempting
  progressive
• are attempting
  progressive
• is attempting
  progressive
• have been attempting
  perfect progressive
• has been attempting
  perfect progressive

Past

• attempted
  simple
• had attempted
  perfect
• was attempting
  progressive
• were attempting
  progressive
• had been attempting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will attempt
  simple
• will have attempted
  perfect
• will be attempting
  progressive
• will have been attempting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of attempt

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Anglo-French atempter from Latin attemptāre “to test, tamper with.” See at-, tempt

Explanation

To attempt is to make an effort. You may attempt to read a book, but if you fail, no harm. If you attempt to jump from one building to the next and fail . . . . Ouch. The word attempt can also be used as a noun. It's an honest effort to do something. Your attempt to bake a birthday cake may look like a disaster, but the birthday boy will appreciate the effort anyway. The noun attempt can also mean an attack on a person or place, but in this case, it's best to hope that the attempt is not on your life. And never, ever attempt that sort of thing at home!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

attempt attempts attempted attempting

It warned ships not to attempt to transit the key trade waterway via routes unapproved by Tehran.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

A hearing at the end of the month could establish whether prosecutors will move ahead with second trial or attempt to reach a plea deal.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

His attempt at civil disobedience was turned on its head when the governor invited Berry and the Kentucky Rising activists to stay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Mr. Damasio makes no attempt to map out in full this wider debate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

But his paws groped at the open air, the wispy silhouette unaffected by his futile attempt.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

During a speech in Paris last year, Vance rejected attempts to build an international consensus around rules governing the technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

He grew frustrated at what he perceived to be attempts to sweep the matter under the rug.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

There have been huge attempts to transform health and particularly hospital services for the past number of years.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

The robots moved slowly and sometimes required a few attempts to complete their tasks.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

But Priddy was concerned that his attempts to achieve eugenic sterilizations would still be challenged by state and federal courts.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Not long after, after townsfolk thwarted an attempted kidnapping of a local grower, hundreds of people gathered in the sun-bleached central plaza and drafted a communique.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Following the unusually grim fire season of 2015, governments and other organizations attempted to reverse some of that damage.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

In case you’ve missed one of the most surprising battles in sports, Kiffin and the Tigers attempted to bring back two players who had already done stints in the NFL.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Again — he has never attempted to actually vote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

I attempted to get a better look at the glowing button.

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

On Sunday, Tehran also claimed it struck an unmanned U.S. vessel attempting to enter the strait.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

A College of the Sequoias professor, he is attempting to unseat Republican Rep. David Valadao.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

The union has accused De Beers management of attempting to portray the mine closure “as a sudden and unavoidable crisis,” when it has been aware for some time of the challenges facing the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

They also successfully simulated the behavior by treating each textile as a continuous material rather than attempting to model every individual strand of yarn.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

He was still attempting to fend off the flu-like symptoms of malaria that had been trying to overpower him since the first two canoes were smashed.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• attack
• bid
• endeavor
• experiment
• pursuit
• shot
• struggle
• try