attempt

verb at·tempt \ ə-ˈtem(p)t \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of attempt

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

play \-ˈtem(p)-tə-bəl\ adjective

See attempt defined for English-language learners

See attempt defined for kids

Examples of attempt in a Sentence

They've attempted a climb up Mount Everest once before.
She attempted suicide early in their marriage.

Recent Examples of attempt from the Web

Some attempted to flee, leaving behind carts filled with food.

— gabriel thompson, Longreads, "Coachella, Underground," 12 Apr. 2018
Since the Comey incident Rosenstein has attempted to demonstrate that his loyalties lie with the law, not Trump.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Will Trump Actually Fire Mueller, Rosenstein, or Sessions?," 11 Apr. 2018
Some research has attempted to untangle these climate threads.

— stephanie pappas, Scientific American, "Taming the Mighty Mississippi May Have Caused Bigger Floods," 10 Apr. 2018
Based on numbers from the Himalayan Database, in 2010, four Indian and eight Chinese climbers attempted the mountain, just 6 percent of the total.

— alan arnette, Outside Online, "We Can Make Everest Safer. Too Bad No One's Trying.," 9 Apr. 2018
The musical is a telling tale of fleeting fame; a flamboyant cast of characters attempt to make a movie with movie stars with all the glitz.

— chris folks, Laurel Leader, "Drama club learns that the show must go ojn [West Laurel]," 5 Apr. 2018
Harry Daghlian, another physicist at Los Alamos, had attempted a similar experiment the previous year using tungsten-carbide bricks instead of a beryllium dome.

— julian g. west, The Atlantic, "The Atomic-Bomb Core That Escaped World War II," 2 Apr. 2018
In the direct listing that Spotify is attempting, there will be no bankers to find qualified pre-buyers and set a price for the initial stock sale.

— theodore schleifer, Recode, "Meet Barry McCarthy, the man behind Spotify’s daring public offering," 1 Apr. 2018
Shepherd has attempted to run in all five Xfinity Series this season and has qualified for four of them.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Mr. 1,000: Why 76-year-old Morgan Shepherd is still racing | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 30 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'attempt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of attempt

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

attempt Synonyms

Synonyms

assay, endeavor, essay, seek, strive, try;

Near Antonyms

drop, give up, quit;

aim, aspire, hope;

assume, take up, undertake;

Phrases

have a go at, shoot at (or shoot for), try one's hand (at);

Synonym Discussion of 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

attempt

noun

Definition of attempt

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

See attempt defined for English-language learners

Examples of attempt in a Sentence

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 of attempt from the Web

Brinkley said of her first memory with soccer at age 6 after attempts at playing tee-ball and ballet.

— terrence thomas, San Antonio Express-News, "Driven to be her best.," 12 Apr. 2018
In India, Rajneesh was also given to frequent attempts at humor.

— win mccormack, The New Republic, "Bhagwan’s Jewish Problem," 12 Apr. 2018
Perkins last played in the NBA in 2015-16 for New Orleans, and worked himself into shape last summer for an attempt at a comeback.

— joe vardon, cleveland.com, "Cavaliers adding Kendrick Perkins to playoff roster," 10 Apr. 2018
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the owner of the largest number of local news stations around the country, has come under harsh criticism after a video highlighted what some see as an attempt at politicized corporate message control.

— josh mccrain, Washington Post, "Yes, Sinclair Broadcast Group does cut local news, increase national news and tilt its stations rightward," 10 Apr. 2018
Fike’s final choice was Chiriboga blue, a German attempt at making Roquefort that turned into something sweeter, with hints of vanilla.

— allison steele, Philly.com, "What makes a good cheese plate? A how-to for amateurs," 10 Apr. 2018
This is Griffon's first attempt at running for political office.

— jaimy jones, Houston Chronicle, "Candidate for city council wants 'a seat at the table' for federal flood money," 9 Apr. 2018
Today, Zuckerberg unveils the newest attempt at reform.

— robinson meyer, The Atlantic, "Mark Zuckerberg Says He’s Not Resigning," 9 Apr. 2018
That wasn’t the rapper’s first attempt at shutting down pregnancy rumors.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Cardi B Confirms She's Pregnant," 8 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of attempt

see ¹attempt

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1534

See Words from the same year

attempt Synonyms

ATTEMPT Defined for English Language Learners

attempt

verb

Definition of attempt for English Language Learners

: to try to do (something) : to try to accomplish or complete (something)

attempt

noun

Definition of attempt for English Language Learners

: an act of trying to do something
: something that results from trying to do something

ATTEMPT Defined for Kids

attempt

verb at·tempt \ ə-ˈtempt \

Definition of attempt for Students

attempted; attempting

: to try to do, accomplish, or complete

attempt to win

attempt

noun

Definition of attempt for Students

: the act or an instance of trying to do something They made two attempts to climb the mountain.

Law Dictionary

attempt

noun at·tempt

legal Definition of attempt

: 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.