attempted

adjective

at·tempt·ed | \ ə-ˈtem(p)-təd

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

Examples of attempted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An attempted burglary at a Rohnert Park home was thwarted Friday afternoon when a resident called police about someone trying to break into a neighbor’s home. — Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, "Rohnert Park: Neighbor reports prowler; suspect arrested," 30 June 2019 The week before the attempted arrest, more than 500 people had visited the building to apply for a new municipal identification program. — Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, "When Paying a Traffic Ticket Can End in Deportation," 30 June 2019 Entering last night’s game, Realmuto had thrown out a league-leading 17 attempted base stealers. — Scott Lauber, https://www.inquirer.com, "What should the Phillies do with Maikel Franco? | Extra Innings," 5 June 2019 Police sought an attempted murder charge against Aghazadeh. — Gary Klien, The Mercury News, "Video released in Marin police shooting of Bay Area bodybuilder," 20 June 2019 Despite enormous Egyptian efforts, the attempted unity government failed to reconcile the two groups. — Mohammed Daraghmeh, The Seattle Times, "Palestinian president swears in new government," 13 Apr. 2019 Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 on 17 counts related to the attempted Senate seat sale and the fundraising shakedowns of a children’s hospital executive and a racetrack owner. — Jason Meisner, chicagotribune.com, "Ex-Gov. Blagojevich's lawyers file for clemency days after Trump raises hopes," 5 June 2018 The Pakistani government said the assault was an attempted strike against its close alliance with China. — Eva Dou, WSJ, "Militants Attack Chinese Consulate in Pakistan," 23 Nov. 2018 Trainer shot Sterling during an attempted traffic stop. — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, "D.C. officer who fatally shot motorcyclist appeals termination," 8 June 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.