effort

American  

[ef-ert] / ˈɛf ərt /

noun

1. exertion of physical or mental power.

   It will take great effort to achieve victory.

   Synonyms:

   striving, struggle

2. an earnest or strenuous attempt.

   an effort to keep to the schedule.

3. something done by exertion or hard work.

   I thought it would be easy, but it was an effort.

4. an achievement, as in literature or art.

   The painting is one of his finest efforts.

5. the amount of exertion expended for a specified purpose.

   the war effort.

6. Chiefly British.

   1. an organized community drive or achievement.

   2. a fund-raising drive.

7. Mechanics. the force or energy that is applied to a machine for the accomplishment of useful work.

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effort British  

/ ˈɛfət /

noun

1. physical or mental exertion, usually considerable when unqualified

   the rock was moved with effort

2. a determined attempt

   our effort to save him failed

3. achievement; creation

   a great literary effort

4. physics an applied force acting against inertia

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effort Scientific  

/ ĕf′ərt /

1. Force applied against inertia.

2. The force needed by a machine in order to accomplish work on a load.

3. Compare load

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effort Idioms  

1. see all out (effort); last-ditch effort.

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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 )

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.

Example Sentences

Work on Meta Platforms’ 2Africa Pearls project—a massive effort to expand internet service across Africa, Europe, and Asia—was halted in early March.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

Why spend all this time, effort and money - an estimated $93bn - going back to the Moon when the US has been there already?

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

The U.S. and Israel have made admirable operational advances on all fronts, but the effort hasn’t succeeded in transforming them into strategic and policy successes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

“We will make every possible effort to ensure the success of the peace process,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

And even then, Molly always thought it sounded a bit odd, a bit off; she could practically hear the effort that came with it.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• achievement
• attempt
• battle
• creation
• endeavor
• exercise
• force
• industry
• intention
• power
• production
• push
• resolution
• struggle
• training