effort
Americannoun
-
efforts
plural
-
exertion of physical or mental power.
It will take great effort to achieve victory.
-
an earnest or strenuous attempt.
an effort to keep to the schedule.
-
something done by exertion or hard work.
I thought it would be easy, but it was an effort.
-
an achievement, as in literature or art.
The painting is one of his finest efforts.
-
the amount of exertion expended for a specified purpose.
the war effort.
-
Chiefly British.
-
an organized community drive or achievement.
-
a fund-raising drive.
-
-
Mechanics. the force or energy that is applied to a machine for the accomplishment of useful work.
noun
-
physical or mental exertion, usually considerable when unqualified
the rock was moved with effort
-
a determined attempt
our effort to save him failed
-
achievement; creation
a great literary effort
-
physics an applied force acting against inertia
-
Force applied against inertia.
-
The force needed by a machine in order to accomplish work on a load.
-
Compare load
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing effort
Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 U.S. effort has increasingly resembled a game of whack-a-mole.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The effort was there, the attacking style Jaissle wants was there, only the win was missing but enough to please him after fall-out from this summer's Tyneside turbulence.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“This legislation will not retire with me. Plans are already under way to ensure another Member carries this effort forward,” she said in a statement.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
The effort began with the ballot summary written by lawmakers.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
They kept their eyes on Rowdy, but made no effort to jump on him.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Electronically powered door handles became an industry trend, but raised "real safety concerns" when doors failed to open promptly, delaying rescue efforts after accidents, said Nanyang Technological University associate professor Lyu Chen.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
A wildlife trust has said it has launched a first-of-its-kind survey to help find out how people feel about nature and guide future conservation efforts.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Following those departures, Google moved renowned AI researcher Demis Hassabis into Dean’s chair and put Koray Kavukcuoglu, one of its most senior AI figures, in charge of its Gemini models and AI research efforts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
"Without those efforts, the center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down," Justice Department attorney Brantley Mayers wrote.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Thinking the battle was almost over, the genie doubled his efforts.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
