1
as in tries
an effort to do or accomplish something
it took several attempts before we made good ice cream with an old-fashioned hand-cranked ice cream freezer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in attacks
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
several attempts on the life of the country's chief drug enforcement official
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in strives
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of attempts
Jesse Granger, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Plum shot three for 10, tied for her fewest attempts in a game this season.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
Understanding that, despite their attempts at reconciliation, the great divide between the Peaches and the Plums remains unwavering, Pinky does the Lord’s work to bring the entire cast together for a night of innocent fun.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 15 June 2026
According to Evens, several attempts were made to identify Denise through DNA testing over the years, and each attempt proved unsuccessful due to the condition of the DNA.
—Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 15 June 2026
While attempts to recycle gangue date back to the 1950s, the economic incentive shifted after 2010 as natural sand supplies tightened and Beijing locked in its national carbon targets.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Initial attempts to guide the climbers through the remainder of route by voice failed.
—Logan Smith, CBS News, 15 June 2026
The stretch started with Kucherov recording 38 shot attempts over his first three games, his most over any three games this season.
—Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2026
Dylan Harper, who has played tremendous bench minutes for San Antonio, also scored 13 on 18 shot attempts.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026
Also like Amity Island, Widow’s Bay has a mayor who attempts to attract tourists despite a threat to their safety.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 15 June 2026
This isn’t the first time that attempts have been made to resurrect Rockford.
—Simon Button, Variety, 15 June 2026
The opera, an adaptation of Dorothy and DuBose Heyward’s play (itself an adaptation of the latter’s 1925 novel), tells the story of a disabled Black beggar hailing from Charleston, who attempts to rescue Bess from her drug dealer and controlling lover.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 14 June 2026
By targeting the lining where the signal originates, the procedure attempts to recreate some of the drug’s effect without the drug.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2026
Jason Myers went 5-for-5 on his field goal attempts after Walker’s ground-and-pound effort.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
Al Pacino, in one of his most iconic roles, stars as Sonny Wortzik, a real-life bundle of raw nerves who attempts a bank robbery that quickly spirals out of control.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
In the video, the first driver can be seen shoving the second vehicle's door closed as the driver attempts to get out of their vehicle.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Noun
Tortorella’s other attempts to jump-start the top line, such as moving Mitch Marner and Mark Stone up beside Eichel at different points, didn’t work either.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Plum shot three for 10, tied for her fewest attempts in a game this season.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
Understanding that, despite their attempts at reconciliation, the great divide between the Peaches and the Plums remains unwavering, Pinky does the Lord’s work to bring the entire cast together for a night of innocent fun.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 15 June 2026
According to Evens, several attempts were made to identify Denise through DNA testing over the years, and each attempt proved unsuccessful due to the condition of the DNA.
—Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 15 June 2026
While attempts to recycle gangue date back to the 1950s, the economic incentive shifted after 2010 as natural sand supplies tightened and Beijing locked in its national carbon targets.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Initial attempts to guide the climbers through the remainder of route by voice failed.
—Logan Smith, CBS News, 15 June 2026
The stretch started with Kucherov recording 38 shot attempts over his first three games, his most over any three games this season.
—Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2026
Dylan Harper, who has played tremendous bench minutes for San Antonio, also scored 13 on 18 shot attempts.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Verb
In a June 2 Instagram Reel, Joanna attempts to balance on a 2x4 wooden plank as Chip watches her with an amused expression on his face.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026
Also like Amity Island, Widow’s Bay has a mayor who attempts to attract tourists despite a threat to their safety.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 15 June 2026
This isn’t the first time that attempts have been made to resurrect Rockford.
—Simon Button, Variety, 15 June 2026
The opera, an adaptation of Dorothy and DuBose Heyward’s play (itself an adaptation of the latter’s 1925 novel), tells the story of a disabled Black beggar hailing from Charleston, who attempts to rescue Bess from her drug dealer and controlling lover.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 14 June 2026
By targeting the lining where the signal originates, the procedure attempts to recreate some of the drug’s effect without the drug.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2026
Jason Myers went 5-for-5 on his field goal attempts after Walker’s ground-and-pound effort.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
Al Pacino, in one of his most iconic roles, stars as Sonny Wortzik, a real-life bundle of raw nerves who attempts a bank robbery that quickly spirals out of control.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
In the video, the first driver can be seen shoving the second vehicle's door closed as the driver attempts to get out of their vehicle.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempts
Noun
-
Several tries later, and the app started tracking my brain waves.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
New Zealand hasn’t won a World Cup match in six tries, with three losses in 1982 and bizarrely draws in all three matches in 2010.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The Kerch road and rail crossing, opened by Putin in 2018, has been the target of previous Ukrainian attacks.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
-
The first is Kryla, a compact cruise missile carrying a 50-kilogram warhead designed for saturation attacks.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
New legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of senators strives to add new aircraft to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunter fleet and codify the agency’s role in meteorological research.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
17 June 2026
-
In a world of jaded billionaires, psychiatrist-gurus, bio-hacked tech bros, AI labs and disillusioned teens being optimized in elite private schools, an audacious data-mining CEO (Billy Magnussen) strives to turn insight and influence into profit and power.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Does this mean those pop-goes-punk comp albums are coming back?—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Except then there’s the chance of being FUNNELED, placed on the rails and headed for a very specific destination, instead of the OPEN-WORLD anything-goes of traditional D&D.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Moscow’s efforts to recruit students for its own expert drone units have been mired in distrust and setbacks, according to Stepanenko, after Russia’s Ministry of Defense committed some drone operators to frontline ground assaults.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
Vandalism, assaults and robberies downtown have driven businesses out, and a noticeable lack of police presence makes people reluctant to return.—
Lily Wright,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
The keyboard on the TravelMate P6 was perfectly satisfactory in my brief stabs at typing.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
That definitely took a lot of stabs.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Trump’s immigration team vows that more raids are forthcoming.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Japanese antitrust officials periodically make high-profile raids to protect fair competition, such as one on Google, instructing it to fix its advertising search restrictions allegedly affecting Yahoo in the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
By targeting logistics hubs and resource stockpiles, Ukraine is attacking the systems that sustain Russian offensives.—
Aidan Stretch,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
The twin offensives are targeting Hamas and Hezbollah respectively, though critics argue that the operations are motivated at least in part by domestic politics — Israel is due to hold elections by October — and are amplifying troubling humanitarian situations in Gaza and Lebanon.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempts. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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