endeavor
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
-
to attempt; try.
He endeavors to keep things neat in his apartment.
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Archaic. to attempt to achieve or gain.
noun
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endeavors
plural
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of endeavor
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English endeveren, from the phrase putten in devoir “to make an effort, assume responsibility”; compare Anglo-French se mettre en deveir. See en- 1, devoir
Explanation
When you endeavor to do something, you try hard to make it happen. A determined student might endeavor to get straight As on her report card. "The ordinary objects of human endeavor — property, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible," wrote Albert Einstein. Presumably, NASA had loftier objects in mind when they named one of their space shuttles Endeavour, using the British spelling. The word comes from the Old French phrase mettre en deveir, or "put in duty." As a verb, it's a more impressive word than try and suggests you're doing your darnedest to make something happen.
Vocabulary lists containing endeavor
The Declaration of Independence
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List 8
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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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:
Doing what’s right is often a thankless endeavor, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Finding the crater site was a global endeavor that brought together leading experts and hobbyists.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
A recent report by the Presbyterian Church in America reaffirms a proposition that American Presbyterians have believed since 1788: that freedom of religion and assembly are crucial for Christian endeavor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
In this year’s special end-of-term series, we endeavor to answer that question.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
The subsequent exploration of the Earth was a worldwide endeavor, including voyages from as well as to China and Polynesia.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
This series endeavors to settle that mystery once and for all.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
As an exile in Italy, Muratov continued his endeavors to keep the Russian-Italian connection alive and sought to reconnect the scattered Russian Renaissance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
At the same time, investors have been increasingly questioning the return on investment of Alphabet’s AI endeavors, especially amid delays and high-profile departures from the company’s DeepMind lab.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
“These wars served as springboard for the United States to engage in widespread global diplomatic endeavors and allowed them to become a stronger nation as a whole.”
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
There was no money whatsoever in the city’s budget for such costly endeavors, plus no desire to undertake them.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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.
