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.

He landed his opening quadruple flip jump but singled his second quadruple axel, which he had been attempting to become the first skater to land at an Olympics.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

Taylor had been attempting to contact Einstein for some time before she traveled unannounced to Princeton University, where he was working.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2024

Carroll spent the ensuing timeout protesting that he had been attempting to call a timeout and wondering if there shouldn’t have been a pause for Seattle to try to substitute.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2024

A man was later sentenced to a suspended jail term and claimed he had been attempting to contact aliens.

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2023

The selective breeding of the strongest, smartest, “fittest” humans—unnatural selection—Galton imagined, could achieve over just a few decades what nature had been attempting for eons.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee