attempt
Americanverb (used with object)
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attempts,
present (3rd person singular)
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attempted,
past participle, past
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attempting
present participle
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to make an effort at; try; undertake; seek.
to attempt an impossible task; to attempt to walk six miles.
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Archaic. to attack; move against in a hostile manner.
to attempt a person's life.
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Archaic. to tempt.
verb
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to make an effort (to do something) or to achieve (something); try
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to try to surmount (an obstacle)
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to try to climb
they will attempt the north wall of the Eiger
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archaic to attack
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archaic to tempt
noun
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an endeavour to achieve something; effort
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a result of an attempt or endeavour
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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
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attemptabilitynoun
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attempternoun
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quasi-attemptverb
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reattemptverb (used with object)
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attemptableadjective
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unattemptableadjective
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unattemptedadjective
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unattemptingadjective
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well-attemptedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attemptsimple
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attemptssimple
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have attemptedperfect
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has attemptedperfect
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am attemptingprogressive
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are attemptingprogressive
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is attemptingprogressive
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have been attemptingperfect progressive
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has been attemptingperfect progressive
Past
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attemptedsimple
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had attemptedperfect
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was attemptingprogressive
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were attemptingprogressive
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had been attemptingperfect progressive
Future
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!
Vocabulary lists containing attempt
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
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American Football, 1st Quarter
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Nothing But the Truth
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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:
The NFL Referees Assn. says the suspensions handed out by the league to two game officials this week went too far and that it will attempt to get them reduced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
He chose to conduct his own defense during the trial but called no witnesses and gave no testimony, and made no attempt to deny the charges.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
It was only his fourth attempt at film music, and he was still almost entirely self-taught.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Boulder County’s lawsuit is not some novel attempt by a municipality to regulate greenhouse emissions around the world, and it does not purport to control any activity outside of its borders.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
It did not take long to gather my “things”: my hat and an undervest that was drying after a vain attempt to get it clean in the much-used basin water.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
After other attempts to reach a solution were unsuccessful, Carmona-Barrera coordinated both transportation and childcare so the patient could make the appointment.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
United still hold his registration and, according to sources close to Old Trafford, the club have made multiple attempts to reconcile the situation as part of their duty of care to the teenager.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
He made 18 of 19 field-goal attempts in nine regular-season games and the playoffs, and has made four of five attempts this season, including two against the Broncos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Without this essential record of why an AI did what it did, we could become blind to the drivers of AIs’ attempts to hack, cheat and perform other malicious acts, researchers say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The sheep are in a terrible mood today as Bailey attempts to usher them from one field to another.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Manfred D. is suspected of aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
My earlier analysis pointed to the three bulwarks against attempted election subversion—the state and local governments that administer elections, the courts that protect rights, and the American people who are democracy’s ultimate safeguard.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
Footage shows waves licking the wreckage as multiple responders attempted to free the canine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
In the attempted lethal injection of a different inmate in May, a medical professional failed to establish the IV correctly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
But when she attempted to stand, one of the girls caught her by the wrist.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
EA didn’t pay the change-in-control premium after its buyout closed in August, instead attempting to defease the bonds by setting aside U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Medvedev told BBC Sport in 2025 that he was attempting to work on his on-court behaviour.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Blacknell said no medical professionals have found that Linton was “malingering,” or attempting to feign a medical condition for gain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Earlier, as von der Leyen arrived, local broadcasters showed footage of a small group of protesters attempting to block her exit from the airport with a truck and a tanker.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
“It’s amazing how much freedom your parents give you,” I pant hurriedly, attempting and failing to return the one-handed signs.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
