effort
Americannoun
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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
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 )
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.
That next level could include expectations of higher likely returns once the bank completes its simplification efforts and achieves lower long-term minimum capital levels, McDonald added.
The Postal Service said it made the change as part of long-running efforts to modernize and cut costs.
She keeps just two baskets at her house — her first effort, which “wasn’t good enough to give anybody,” she said, laughing — and a basket hat started by her late sister, Sally Hammel.
From Los Angeles Times
Yet there have been recent efforts to diversify the Grammy electorate.
From Los Angeles Times
When this happens, overall rebuilding efforts can be slowed as lots sit empty and the positive impacts of mass rebuilding — people coming back to neighborhoods, stores reopening — are diminished.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
