Showing results for "endeavour"

• a variation of endeavor.

endeavour

British  

/ ɪnˈdɛvə /

verb

1. to try (to do something)

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noun

1. an effort to do or attain something

Other Word Forms

• endeavourer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of endeavour

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

Explanation

To endeavour is to strive for something. The endeavour itself is the thing you're striving for, the enterprise or undertaking. It's a primarily British spelling of the word. The Middle English root of endeavour means to "put oneself in" or "do one's utmost," so if you endeavour to do something, you do it with earnestness and a fair amount of effort. Americans usually spell the word endeavor, but NASA named one of its space shuttles the Endeavour. Why the extra "u"? NASA was honoring the HMS Endeavour, the first ship ever used by the British explorer Captain James Cook.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

endeavour

Scientists are also trying to fight disease, though that's an expensive and laborious endeavour, which for most species buys only a little more time.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Watt added that the firm "should be owned by the equity punks and I will endeavour to ensure that happens".

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Burnham would need to win a parliamentary by-election and become an MP to enter a Labour leadership contest, a complicated endeavour fraught with risk and uncertainty.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

Reid Wiseman also said he'd had very honest conversations with his two daughters about the dangers involved with this endeavour.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

And I will endeavour to do so in good time for the Swiss conference.'

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro