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
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Recent Examples of attempting
Pretti was filming the scene on his phone and attempting to help a bystander who had been pepper-sprayed.
—
Larry Pino, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
Over the next several hours, the camera captured Jamall Brown attempting to lift himself up but falling partially into the cell’s toilet.
—Christopher Damien, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
In the clip, the warship repeatedly alters its course to block two foreign vessels from attempting to manoeuvre through the carrier group.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
In the meantime, Preller will continue attempting to sustain the momentum from the club’s first pair of consecutive 90-win seasons.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Vytas, now staying with his growingly reactionary parents, makes a more concerted effort to join the resistance movement, staging public performance-art protests, volunteering at a food bank, and attempting to cut off his folks’ access to Russian propaganda on satellite TV.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
Breaking safe staffing agreements endangers patients’ lives and puts nurses in the impossible position of attempting to give optimal care to way too many people, even the most fragile.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
To create the most impactful small flower bed, pinpoint a few key areas in your front yard and plant clusters of perennials rather than attempting to fill entire garden beds, says Janney.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 31 Jan. 2026
My recollection is that my mind ping-ponged between racing to get the story online and attempting to analyze the deal.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 31 Jan. 2026
Larry Pino, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
Over the next several hours, the camera captured Jamall Brown attempting to lift himself up but falling partially into the cell’s toilet.
—Christopher Damien, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
In the clip, the warship repeatedly alters its course to block two foreign vessels from attempting to manoeuvre through the carrier group.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
In the meantime, Preller will continue attempting to sustain the momentum from the club’s first pair of consecutive 90-win seasons.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Vytas, now staying with his growingly reactionary parents, makes a more concerted effort to join the resistance movement, staging public performance-art protests, volunteering at a food bank, and attempting to cut off his folks’ access to Russian propaganda on satellite TV.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
Breaking safe staffing agreements endangers patients’ lives and puts nurses in the impossible position of attempting to give optimal care to way too many people, even the most fragile.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
To create the most impactful small flower bed, pinpoint a few key areas in your front yard and plant clusters of perennials rather than attempting to fill entire garden beds, says Janney.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 31 Jan. 2026
My recollection is that my mind ping-ponged between racing to get the story online and attempting to analyze the deal.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempting
Verb
-
Under New York law, the district attorney's office could be barred from trying Mangione on state murder charges if his federal trial happens first.—
MICHAEL R. SISAK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The three cops who showed up weaved through the crowd trying to find the somebody who made the phone call.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What started off as a striving novelty turned into something genuinely useful, and YouTube viewers took notice.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This computer software company is striving to make Linux more profitable, stable and secure by changing the way data centers and hosting companies use the technology.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attempting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempting. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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