Synonyms of attempting

attempting

verb

present participle of attempt

as in trying

to make an effort to do

after attempting—and failing—to start the lawn mower on my own, I finally succeeded with a neighbor's help

don't even attempt walking on your broken foot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trying
• striving
• seeking
• endeavoring
• essaying
• assaying
• hoping
• shooting at
• struggling
• aiming
• having a go at
• working
• trying one's hand (at)
• toiling
• fighting
• undertaking
• troubling
• aspiring
• straining
• assuming
• taking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dropping
• giving up
• quitting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of attempting

Having already served a yearlong jail sentence for an Orinda bank robbery in 2018, Luchin was indicted last year on charges of attempting to rob three San Francisco banks in the same day. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026

Instead of attempting an abundance of field goals, Butker and the place-kicking unit ran onto the field every 20 minutes or so for an attempt. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026

View gallery - 12 images Rather than attempting to squeeze in multiple bedrooms or tons of storage, the Luna Nook keeps things simple with a space-saving design to make its modest footprint feel pleasant to spend time in. — New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2026

The bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit Pakistan’s mountains are typically recovered only at the request of their families and governments. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Eaton appeared likely to side with the coalition of companies attempting to get a class certified, but did not issue a ruling or give a timeline for one during Thursday’s arguments. — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2026

In the meantime, his rival, Republican Steve Hilton is barnstorming the state with a steady stream of events and media appearances, attempting to gin up attention for a campaign that early polls show faces a difficult climb to viability. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Antonacci kept running, attempting to score from second on the play. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

Broadly speaking, Gluck had earned more benefit of the doubt than most directors attempting a big-budget romance today. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026