effort
Americannoun
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exertion of physical or mental power.
It will take great effort to achieve victory.
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an earnest or strenuous attempt.
an effort to keep to the schedule.
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something done by exertion or hard work.
I thought it would be easy, but it was an effort.
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an achievement, as in literature or art.
The painting is one of his finest efforts.
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the amount of exertion expended for a specified purpose.
the war effort.
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Chiefly British.
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an organized community drive or achievement.
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a fund-raising drive.
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Mechanics. the force or energy that is applied to a machine for the accomplishment of useful work.
noun
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physical or mental exertion, usually considerable when unqualified
the rock was moved with effort
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a determined attempt
our effort to save him failed
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achievement; creation
a great literary effort
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physics an applied force acting against inertia
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Force applied against inertia.
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The force needed by a machine in order to accomplish work on a load.
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Compare load
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing effort
Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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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:
A local news reporter on how the effort to replace Graham Platner in the Senate race feels on the ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
While the nonprofit is best known for turning Jackie and Shadow into celebrities by livestreaming their nest, it grew out of an effort to stop the same project 25 years ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Bowe downplayed people calling him a hero and insisted it was a team effort.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The interdisciplinary effort is expected to continue for many years.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
With an effort, Torak forced his mind to what she was saying.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Amex has made efforts in recent years to bring in consumers with higher incomes and better credit scores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Additional fire appliances have been taken to the island to support the efforts to fight the fire which is on land owned by the National Trust.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
But the piece also reflected feelings Valdez had about his long-estranged brother Frank, an engineer whose alienating efforts to deny his own background and fit in formed a heavy undercurrent in Valdez’s life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Barnes, four other Times reporters and their families—along with the New York Times NYT 1.41%increase; green up pointing triangle itself—were swept up in a legal brawl over the Trump administration’s efforts to identify leakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Their panda conservation efforts have been so successful that the giant panda has become an international symbol for conserving wildlife.”
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
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.
