attempted

adjective at·tempt·ed \ ə-ˈtem(p)-təd \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of attempted

: having been tried without success

an attempted suicide

an attempted takeover

; especially, law : characterized by an intent to commit and effort taken to commit a specified crime that fails or is prevented

an attempted robbery

was charged with attempted murder

Recent Examples of attempted from the Web

Burglary, Hersey Circle: On March 21, a resident reported an attempted burglary.

— cheryl higley, cleveland.com, "Pharmacy reports stolen medication: North Ridgeville police," 7 Apr. 2018
Houston police chief Art Acevedo addressed the attempted abduction of a child at the Houston Zoo in a press conference Friday afternoon.

— jay r. jordan, Houston Chronicle, "Child almost kidnapped during field trip to Houston Zoo," 6 Apr. 2018
The family of eight appears to have left their Woodland, Washington, home shortly after attempted contact by child protective services on March 23, according to neighbors and the Clark County Sheriff's Office.

— kale williams, OregonLive.com, "Search for missing Hart children intensifies on California coast ahead of storm," 4 Apr. 2018
Trumble, 32, was charged Feb. 20 with attempted criminal damage to property and obstructing an officer in connection with the Feb. 18 incident.

— steven martinez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Pewaukee man accused of abandoning ex's car on railroad tracks could end his case soon with a plea," 30 Mar. 2018
He's thrown out just one of seven attempted base stealers so far, but sees progress in those throws that don't get outs, too.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Late-spring game shows full spectrum of what catching prospect Chance Sisco can bring Orioles," 23 Mar. 2018
Gipson is a one-term former lawmaker from the Poughkeepsie area who lost his re-election in 2014 and then lost an attempted comeback bid in 2016.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Here's exactly how much trouble Cynthia Nixon can cause for Andrew Cuomo," 20 Mar. 2018
Police are reporting an attempted abduction in Over-the-Rhine Friday morning.

— cameron knight, Cincinnati.com, "Attempted abduction reported in Over-the-Rhine," 9 Mar. 2018
Amanda was shot in the head during an attempted burglary of the family's northwest-side home, according to prosecutors.

— will higgins, Indianapolis Star, "Pastor Davey Blackburn talks hope and forgiveness on Good Friday," 22 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of attempted

circa 1513

in the meaning defined above

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Law Dictionary

attempted

adjective at·tempt·ed

legal Definition of attempted

: characterized by an intent to commit and effort taken to commit a specified crime that fails or is prevented

attempted forgery

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Nglish: Translation of attempted for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of attempted for Arabic speakers

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