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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of attempting
Tankers have avoided the narrow waterway after Tehran threatened to attack vessels attempting to transit the strait.
—
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 Mar. 2026
Crashes on Interstate 70 meant a closure for traffic attempting to get on the highway at Genesee.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
When attempting an outing before water levels come back up again, Cannon Spring and Tobacco Patch Spring can be accessed by putting in at Paynes Landing (Cypress Bayou Boat Ramp) in Fort McCoy and paddling upstream, then floating back down.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
Video showed a man attempting to pull down a poster of the dictator — killed last week in an Israeli airstrike — when a man wearing a SpongeBob sweatshirt punched him in the face, sending him to the ground.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 7 Mar. 2026
But the most chaotic sketch was saved for later in the night, where the duo pair up again to portray a principal and teacher attempting to school an unruly class of students.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2026
The Sailors goalkeeper had just received a pass from a teammate and was attempting to control the ball.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Tips and overtime The main push Friday by Republicans was attempting to cut income taxes on tips and overtime.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
The game got chaotic in the final minutes as several pitch invaders ran onto the field attempting to reach Messi.
—Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 Mar. 2026
Crashes on Interstate 70 meant a closure for traffic attempting to get on the highway at Genesee.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
When attempting an outing before water levels come back up again, Cannon Spring and Tobacco Patch Spring can be accessed by putting in at Paynes Landing (Cypress Bayou Boat Ramp) in Fort McCoy and paddling upstream, then floating back down.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
Video showed a man attempting to pull down a poster of the dictator — killed last week in an Israeli airstrike — when a man wearing a SpongeBob sweatshirt punched him in the face, sending him to the ground.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 7 Mar. 2026
But the most chaotic sketch was saved for later in the night, where the duo pair up again to portray a principal and teacher attempting to school an unruly class of students.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2026
The Sailors goalkeeper had just received a pass from a teammate and was attempting to control the ball.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Tips and overtime The main push Friday by Republicans was attempting to cut income taxes on tips and overtime.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
The game got chaotic in the final minutes as several pitch invaders ran onto the field attempting to reach Messi.
—Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempting
Verb
-
Israel also pressed on with near-daily strikes, primarily in southern Lebanon, saying that Hezbollah has been trying to rebuild its positions there, killing nearly 400 people while the ceasefire was in place.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Senate progressives are trying to keep it simple.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Midway through Ramadan, Muslims across the United States are striving to maintain the holy month’s traditional mix of prayers and festive spirit under a cloud of worrisome events.—
Luis Andres Henao,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Figure on an almost completely different combination striving to finish games in August and September.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attempting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempting. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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