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

He said there must be a "collective endeavour across government, especially in relation to wastewater".

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Simon Dowson, from Prodrive, said everyone at the north Oxfordshire firm was "very proud and honoured to be part of such an endeavour".

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 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

The Charlton man provides physicality and endeavour and will pop up with the odd goal here and there - his record of 10 in 49 caps is not to be sniffed at.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026

With such kinds of histories of their parties and good jokes, did Lydia, assisted by Kitty’s hints and additions, endeavour to amuse her companions all the way to Longbourn.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen