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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attempting
According to police, a motorist in the vehicle and the motorcyclist were attempting to enter eastbound Interstate 96 from Middlebelt Road.
—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Lo Celso scored on a free kick; Martinez drilled a penalty kick after Julian Alvarez was kicked in the face while attempting a header.
—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 June 2026
Helgosson made a broader claim that cuts to the heart of what PSG is attempting.
—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 June 2026
While attempting to clean up the bad press, the pair is forced to pretend to be best friends, during which the unlikely pair secretly falls in love.
—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
28 June 2026
In a moment when too many voices are attempting to narrow who counts as part of Florida’s story, Local 10 widened the lens.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 June 2026
In addition to the two murders, the indictment accuses SOB members of shooting and attempting to murder 13 people between 2019 and 2025.
—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2026
Anthropic also recently accused Chinese tech giant Alibaba of attempting to illicitly extract its Claude AI model capabilities, Reuters reported.
—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
27 June 2026
In the final seconds before impact, investigators found Wilburn was attempting to avoid the collision but was unable to stop before the red light.
—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Lo Celso scored on a free kick; Martinez drilled a penalty kick after Julian Alvarez was kicked in the face while attempting a header.
—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 June 2026
Helgosson made a broader claim that cuts to the heart of what PSG is attempting.
—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 June 2026
While attempting to clean up the bad press, the pair is forced to pretend to be best friends, during which the unlikely pair secretly falls in love.
—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
28 June 2026
In a moment when too many voices are attempting to narrow who counts as part of Florida’s story, Local 10 widened the lens.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 June 2026
In addition to the two murders, the indictment accuses SOB members of shooting and attempting to murder 13 people between 2019 and 2025.
—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2026
Anthropic also recently accused Chinese tech giant Alibaba of attempting to illicitly extract its Claude AI model capabilities, Reuters reported.
—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
27 June 2026
In the final seconds before impact, investigators found Wilburn was attempting to avoid the collision but was unable to stop before the red light.
—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempting
Verb
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The acceptance rate has been compared to that of trying to get into Harvard University.
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There’s some heartbreaking moments where Mary’s trying so hard to please him.
Verb
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Move from striving to stillness.
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Born in Brooklyn, NY, on April 4, 1932, Davis was a striving student who attended New York University on a full scholarship, and graduated magna cum laude.
Cite this Entry
“Attempting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempting. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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