attempt

1 of 2

verb

at·​tempt ə-ˈtem(p)t How to pronounce attempt (audio)
attempted; attempting; attempts

transitive verb

1
: to make an effort to do, accomplish, solve, or effect
He attempted to swim the swollen river.
2
archaic : tempt
3
archaic : to try to subdue or take by force : attack
attemptable adjective

attempt

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the act or an instance of trying to do or accomplish something : an act or instance of attempting something
She failed the test on her first attempt but passed on her second attempt.
They made an attempt [=tried] to be helpful.
often : an unsuccessful effort
a suicide attempt
b
: something resulting from or representing an attempt
… surrounded by lemon trees and a few attempts at rose bushes.Marian Engel
2
: attack, assault
an attempt on the life of the president
Choose the Right Synonym for attempt

attempt, try, endeavor, essay, strive mean to make an effort to accomplish an end.

attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

will attempt to photograph the rare bird

try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

tried to determine which was the better procedure

endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

endeavored to find crash survivors in the mountains

essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

will essay a dramatic role for the first time

strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

continues to strive for peace

Examples of attempt in a Sentence

Verb They've attempted a climb up Mount Everest once before. She attempted suicide early in their marriage. Noun She failed her driving test on the first attempt but she succeeded on her second attempt. Her attempt at a home-cooked meal consisted of frozen fish sticks and a can of soup.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Seventeen days after Odom’s body was found, Anderson called the life insurance company, said Odom died by homicide, and attempted to claim the insurance benefits. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 Henry is currently attempting to return home from a trip to Kenya to finalize the deal for a deployment of an armed force. Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 This was a conscious decision to pivot, whereas what may have been easier was to bring on board an Ozzy-soundalike and attempt to replicate the sounds of a bygone era. Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 But with the tag now in place, Burns and his agent can attempt to hold back the Panthers’ free agency plans because of the pass rusher’s large cap number. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2024 Per the indictment, Trump was charged with one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Tres Genco, 24, was convicted of attempting to commit a hate crime and sentenced by a federal judge, according to a Feb. 29 news release from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 While JetBlue reported a decline in revenue last quarter, Spirit is attempting to stem its losses after grounding dozens of its aircraft last year due to an issue affecting Airbus engines. Emma Roth, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024 While it has never been attempted by a candidate from a major party before, Trump is allowed to run for president while under indictment in four separate cases — or even if he is convicted of a crime. Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
And power electronics is an attempt to bring some of that smartness that transistors gives you into these much higher voltages. Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 6 Mar. 2024 The two Republicans on the commission fiercely objected to the new requirements on corporations, laying the ground work for legal challenges in blistering dissents that warned the mandate is an improper attempt by the SEC to force companies to adhere to a liberal climate agenda. Maxine Joselow, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The Supreme Court has restored Donald Trump to 2024 presidential primary ballots, rejecting state attempts to hold the Republican former president accountable for the Capitol riot. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Mar. 2024 How will Utah’s latest attempt to play a bigger role in shaping the coal plant’s destiny — which was written up here by the Deseret News’ Amy Joi O’Donoghue — affect L.A.’s plans to shift to climate-friendly energy at Intermountain? Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The bus driver pulled the bus away in an attempt to get away from the gunfire, police said. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 For all practical purposes, the unanimous ruling ends state-by-state attempts to rule Mr. Trump ineligible for the White House under a long-dormant clause of the 14th Amendment that bars insurrectionists from public office. Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar. 2024 The Utes made just two shots in the third quarter on 16 attempts. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024 In fact, according to Axios, thirty states saw legislative attempts to restrict the study of Black History in classrooms in the past year. Jeff Raikes, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'attempt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French attempter, from Latin attemptare, from ad- + temptare to touch, try — more at tempt

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of attempt was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near attempt

Cite this Entry

“Attempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attempt. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

attempt

1 of 2 verb
at·​tempt ə-ˈtem(p)t How to pronounce attempt (audio)
1
: to try to do or perform
attempt an escape
2
: to make an effort : try
attempt to solve the problem

attempt

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act or an instance of attempting
especially : an unsuccessful effort
2
: attack entry 2 sense 1
an attempt on the president's life

Legal Definition

attempt

noun
at·​tempt
: the crime of having the intent to commit and taking action in an effort to commit a crime that fails or is prevented

called also criminal attempt

see also impossibility

Note: There must generally be more than preparation to be guilty of attempt.

More from Merriam-Webster on attempt

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