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

The Navy said that historically only about 35% of candidates attempting to join their ranks make it to graduation. — James Laporta, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026

Now a federal grand jury has indicted Marisela Nuño, who is accused of attempting to defraud COVID-19 relief programs of about $18 million. — Ruben Vives follow, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026

John Gore Studios has boarded Peter Hoar’s A Waiter in Paris, starring Leo Woodall (Tony) as a young British man attempting to make it as a Parisian waiter, as filming in the French capital. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026

Kelly’s chief of staff, Will Lawrence, also accused Holscher of attempting to blackmail Kelly — a claim Holscher flatly denied and framed as bullying. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2026

Is there a recording anywhere of Boucher attempting a British accent? — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 5 Nov. 2026

Four years and several antisemitism incidents after his last major runway show, the artist formerly known as Kanye West is attempting to revive his fashion career with a militaristic collection and a room full of celebrity admirers. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026

Banks said the objective is to establish an identity that builds on Ross’s original vision without attempting to replicate it. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026

The new system detects when the user is attempting to speak and automatically starts or stops the decoding process. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026