endeavour

British

/ ɪnˈdɛvə /

verb

to try (to do something)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

an effort to do or attain something

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

endeavourer noun

Etymology

Origin of endeavour

C14: endeveren , from _en- ¹ + -deveren from dever duty, from Old French deveir; see _devoirs

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.

“A huge part of any mining endeavour is the cost of energy, so oil and gas surges will always hurt mining stocks,” Ash said.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Accepting the best ensemble prize, his co-star Delroy Lindo said making Sinners had been an "incredible journey", adding: "Every single day we brought ourselves, our hearts, our souls, to this endeavour."

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

And with an estimated 1.5 million people in the UK paying for the injections privately, staying on them for a long time is not a cheap endeavour.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

"Schools always endeavour to avoid any disruption to learning and will have in place support for students who are affected", he added.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025

However, after several days of endeavour, in which I myself did my best to assist, his lordship was not able to discover the whereabouts of any of Herr Bremann's family.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023