at·tempt
ə-ˈtem(p)t 
attempted; attempting; attempts
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
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
Marian EngelSynonyms
Examples of attempt in a Sentence
Verb
They've attempted a climb up Mount Everest once before.
She attempted suicide early in their marriage.
Noun
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 on the WebAaron Katersky, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Lawmakers crafted the measure to protect a nascent recreational industry, developing the proposal as Prince George’s County leaders attempted to limit where new dispensaries may open.
—Lateshia Beachum, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Studios are again ramping up their war on piracy, this time by attempting to avoid the pitfalls in similar efforts more than a decade ago.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Television Best foes, best friends: Richard Lewis, Larry David and the love between them
Feb. 28, 2024
There’s also a whole bit in the courtroom of David swatting at a fly as his attorney attempts to lionize him.
—Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors also criticized public statements made by Baldwin after the incident, accusing the actor of attempting to sway public opinion.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Other than everyone holding smart phones attempting to snag a good shot, the energy on this flight harkened back to childhood for me.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
In this instance, the union is still in negotiations with the major videogame makers, and is attempting to win AI protections similar to those in the studio deal.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
The administration’s new efforts at student loan forgiveness use a different legal authority than the previous plan, which attempted to take advantage of power granted to the president by congress during a state of emergency -- at the time the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 12 Apr. 2024
In 2007, Simpson led an armed robbery attempt of a sports memorabilia dealer in Las Vegas.
—Doha Madani, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Waiting much longer could be a costly blow in their attempt to collect more than 100,000 signatures by June 26.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Then came an attempt to give the appropriations process teeth by setting an April deadline to pass the full-year spending bills or impose across-the-board cuts.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
American Crime Story was Fox’s second attempt at tackling the Simpson drama.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
But his campaign also recently joined TikTok in an attempt to drum up younger voter enthusiasm.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, the Observer newspaper reported that neo-Nazi groups were making complaints en masse under the new law in an attempt to overwhelm Scottish police in protest.
—Leo Sands, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Last year, the association created its first California Fire Safety Council and worked closely with My Safe L.A., a nonprofit providing fire and safety education, as well as the Los Angeles Fire Department in an attempt to reduce fire risks in the area.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
In recent days, defense lawyers for Trump and his adult sons have attempted to recast Weisselberg's guilty plea as an act of legal coercion, rather than an acknowledgement of wrongdoing.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Lawmakers crafted the measure to protect a nascent recreational industry, developing the proposal as Prince George’s County leaders attempted to limit where new dispensaries may open.
—Lateshia Beachum, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Studios are again ramping up their war on piracy, this time by attempting to avoid the pitfalls in similar efforts more than a decade ago.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Television Best foes, best friends: Richard Lewis, Larry David and the love between them
Feb. 28, 2024
There’s also a whole bit in the courtroom of David swatting at a fly as his attorney attempts to lionize him.
—Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors also criticized public statements made by Baldwin after the incident, accusing the actor of attempting to sway public opinion.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Other than everyone holding smart phones attempting to snag a good shot, the energy on this flight harkened back to childhood for me.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
In this instance, the union is still in negotiations with the major videogame makers, and is attempting to win AI protections similar to those in the studio deal.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
The administration’s new efforts at student loan forgiveness use a different legal authority than the previous plan, which attempted to take advantage of power granted to the president by congress during a state of emergency -- at the time the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
At another spot near a U.S. Forest Service access site, officers found a 5- and a 6-point bull elk—one of which was hidden under a pile of brush in attempt to conceal the crime.
—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 12 Apr. 2024
In 2007, Simpson led an armed robbery attempt of a sports memorabilia dealer in Las Vegas.
—Doha Madani, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Waiting much longer could be a costly blow in their attempt to collect more than 100,000 signatures by June 26.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Then came an attempt to give the appropriations process teeth by setting an April deadline to pass the full-year spending bills or impose across-the-board cuts.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
American Crime Story was Fox’s second attempt at tackling the Simpson drama.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
But his campaign also recently joined TikTok in an attempt to drum up younger voter enthusiasm.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, the Observer newspaper reported that neo-Nazi groups were making complaints en masse under the new law in an attempt to overwhelm Scottish police in protest.
—Leo Sands, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Last year, the association created its first California Fire Safety Council and worked closely with My Safe L.A., a nonprofit providing fire and safety education, as well as the Los Angeles Fire Department in an attempt to reduce fire risks in the area.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'attempt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near attempt
Cite this Entry
“Attempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attempt. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
attempt
1 of 2 verb
at·tempt
ə-ˈtem(p)t
1
: to try to do or perform
attempt an escape
2
: to make an effort : try
attempt to solve the problem
attempt
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or an instance of attempting
especially
: an unsuccessful effort
2
: attack entry 2 sense 1
an attempt on the president's life
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