attempted

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

|Updated on: 25 Jul 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

The attempted sale was for $150, a pretty good bargain closely kept military tech.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "Security Roundup: Ukraine Blocked a Russian Hack of Its Critical Infrastructure," 14 July 2018
The victim was able to back up his car during the attempted assault, but hit a pole and damaged his vehicle.

— alexandra deabler, Fox News, "Man arrested at McDonald's for threatening customers with stun gun, yelling 'get out of my country'," 23 May 2018
Police said John Rogers, 28, intentionally drove his car into two police cruisers during an attempted police stop Friday night.

— ruth bruno, courant.com, "State Police Arrest Two After Chasing Stolen Car," 6 July 2018
Pitts was arrested Sunday after meeting an undercover agent and was charged with attempted support of a terrorist organization.

— john seewer, The Seattle Times, "FBI: Man scouted Cleveland locations for July 4 bomb attack," 2 July 2018
But the attempted rally wasn’t exactly a laser show.

— peter schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Slumping Orioles try to play small ball, but that doesn't work either," 12 June 2018
The attempted abduction took place at Macias Cellular & Computers in Victorville, California, on Friday.

— heather finn, Good Housekeeping, "Dramatic Kidnapping Attempt Caught on Camera Will Give You the Chills," 6 July 2016
An attempted burglary was reported by a resident in the 500 block of W. Avery St. who said that two unknown suspects attempted to enter his home through a side door between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. June 8.

— graydon megan, chicagotribune.com, "Police: A watermelon dropped from a parking deck in Elmhurst almost hit a pedestrian," 22 June 2018
That case involved the attempted abduction of a 16-year-old girl from her home around 2 a.m. on Sept. 11, 1975.

— sam stanton, sacbee, "He was a teen chasing a prowler in 1977. He ended up being shot by the East Area Rapist," 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.

First Known Use of attempted

circa 1513

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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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

Learn More about attempted

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

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attempted

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attempted

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