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.

Never mind that Brunson had attempted 29 shots and missed 19 of them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

The ship had attempted to dock in Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of Senegal, but officials there did not allow it.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

Wings forward Alanna Smith had attempted to block Clark’s three-point shot but did not leave proper space for the shooter to land.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

In the chaotic minutes after news broke that a gunman had attempted to breach security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a familiar pattern unfolded on social media.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026

Born in Polish-Ukrainian Galicia, Rabi was the levelheaded physicist who had tartly denounced Strauss’s vendetta against Oppenheimer and had attempted, if fruitlessly, to talk Lawrence and Alvarez down from their starry-eyed pursuit of the Super.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik