attempts 1 of 2

plural of attempt

attempts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of attempt
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of attempts
Noun
As Kennedy and Bessette spend more time together and grow closer, her intimidation of the spotlight and fear of invasive paparazzi often create tension in their relationship, despite his attempts to calm the situation. Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026 An early furor over accepting valuable gifts, including designer spectacles and Taylor Swift concert tickets, was followed by a series of policy U-turns, especially clumsy attempts to cut welfare spending that stirred anger in Labour ranks. ABC News, 22 June 2026 In a 2005 interview with broadcaster Charlie Rose, Raymond repeated his attempts to link present-day climate change, which is far faster and more severe than at any time in the geological record, to natural causes rather than human activities like burning fossil fuels. Joe Árvai, The Conversation, 22 June 2026 The company has made various attempts at agentic products before. Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 22 June 2026 The Mercury allow the fewest free-throw attempts per game from their opponents, and the Fever allows the most. Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026 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
Verb
The success of the LineShine comes as the US and China ratchet up their tech rivalry and Washington attempts to curb Beijing’s access to frontier technologies from AI to chips that could power its military. John Liu, CNN Money, 24 June 2026 These systems were designed to take over repetitive, high-volume moderation tasks including flagging impersonation accounts, scam attempts, and harmful content, while human reviewers were concentrated on complex decisions and formal appeals. Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 23 June 2026 The show’s main storyline follows Mavis’ attempts to retake the reins of her love life. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2026 But Swift has had enough Best Original Song attempts to know that her star power does not have as much influence over the Music Branch as the outside world thinks. Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 23 June 2026 Jace attempts to help, but when he and his own fire-breathing steed are finally settled down at sea, a litany of massive bolts pierce Jace, killing him instantly. Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026 Plot synopsis House of the Dragon attempts to condense and dramatize the conflicting accounts presented in Fire & Blood—stitched together from testimonies and court chronicles—into a single authoritative narrative. Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 June 2026 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
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
  • Alan Stanton said the conservative county strives not to overregulate in general.
    John Aguilar, Denver Post, 24 June 2026
  • 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
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
  • The evolution of unmanned warfare has become so pronounced that Ukrainian forces recently conducted what has been described as one of the first unmanned assaults on a Russian position.
    Hunter LaCroix, Baltimore Sun, 20 June 2026
  • This ongoing challenge underscores how accomplished women, particularly women of color, still face gendered and racialized assaults that undermine their achievements.
    Sophia A. Nelson, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • This question stabs at the heart of the culture war that is currently raging in America.
    Dr. Matthew Warshauer, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
  • The keyboard on the TravelMate P6 was perfectly satisfactory in my brief stabs at typing.
    John Burek, PC Magazine, 29 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
  • Since the army broke the siege on el-Obeid last year, the RSF has launched multiple offensives in attempts to reestablish the siege from several directions.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026
  • By targeting logistics hubs and resource stockpiles, Ukraine is attacking the systems that sustain Russian offensives.
    Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Attempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempts. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.

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