Showing results for "endeavour"

• a variation of endeavor.

endeavour

British  

/ ɪnˈdɛvə /

verb

1. to try (to do something)

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noun

1. an effort to do or attain something

Other Word Forms

• endeavourer
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of endeavour

C14: endeveren , from _en- ¹ + -deveren from dever duty, from Old French deveir; see _devoirs

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Explanation

To endeavour is to strive for something. The endeavour itself is the thing you're striving for, the enterprise or undertaking. It's a primarily British spelling of the word. The Middle English root of endeavour means to "put oneself in" or "do one's utmost," so if you endeavour to do something, you do it with earnestness and a fair amount of effort. Americans usually spell the word endeavor, but NASA named one of its space shuttles the Endeavour. Why the extra "u"? NASA was honoring the HMS Endeavour, the first ship ever used by the British explorer Captain James Cook.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

endeavour

Scientists are also trying to fight disease, though that's an expensive and laborious endeavour, which for most species buys only a little more time.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Scotland's strength is their endeavour, their hard work, their passion, but those things only get you so far.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

David Singh, for Ashford, said he had admitted the "endeavour was his idea", and was now "taking responsibility".

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

Burnham would need to win a parliamentary by-election and become an MP to enter a Labour leadership contest, a complicated endeavour fraught with risk and uncertainty.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

It was quite in vain for me to endeavour to make him sensible that he ought to speak to Miss Havisham.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

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