effort
Americannoun
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efforts
plural
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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:
The free student tickets are one of many changes Harris has made in an effort to bring new energy to the school’s signature sports that had struggled under previous athletic director Martin Jarmond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The lack of drive, effort and leadership from the players this season has got him the sack.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Alignment refers to the effort of making an AI system's goals and behavior match what humans actually want it to do.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
The first is the enormous success of Kirkland, Costco’s private label, which emerged from an effort to consolidate dozens of store brands under one name.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
‘Why did you leave them?’ asked Renn, who seemed to be making a supreme effort to forget about her quiver and befriend him, in order to keep them alive.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Volunteer efforts had been co-ordinated from Brantham Leisure Centre and the village hall, which ran out of hi-vis vests due to the number of volunteers.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
"Despite the efforts of our supplier, our purchase price exceeds Total's retail price by several dozen cents," the stations said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
People like Rupar, who post candid videos and photos that reveal his human weakness, pierce through the increasingly fragile White House efforts to prop up the 80-year-old president as the epitome of strength and masculinity.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
Narrow majorities support both of these proposals, creating a quandary for wealth tax supporters: ensuring their proposal receives the support of a majority of voters while also tamping down support for the competing efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
When I was finished, I sat back and reread my efforts.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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.
