take (great) pains
idiom
: to try hard (to do something)
He took (great) pains to explain the situation to us.
Examples of take (great) pains in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
End users should take pains to use only FIDO-compliant forms of authentication, although the distinction between the two in the attack Expel described may not be easy for some.
—
Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 July 2025
As Tearing Down the Orange Curtain races through the chaotic, violent, roaring corridors of Orange County punk rock, Jackson and Kohn also take pains to dig into the region’s past.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2025
Senate Democrats slammed Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz and others for discussing details about missile strikes on a commercially available app and failing to take pains to ensure the identities of the individuals on the chat.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025
These days, Chief Justice Roberts said in 2019, the justices have to take pains to applaud only very occasionally.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take (great) pains
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Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 July 2025
As Tearing Down the Orange Curtain races through the chaotic, violent, roaring corridors of Orange County punk rock, Jackson and Kohn also take pains to dig into the region’s past.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2025
Senate Democrats slammed Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz and others for discussing details about missile strikes on a commercially available app and failing to take pains to ensure the identities of the individuals on the chat.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025
These days, Chief Justice Roberts said in 2019, the justices have to take pains to applaud only very occasionally.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take (great) pains
Cite this Entry
“Take (great) pains.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20%28great%29%20pains. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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