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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attempts
Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2025
Her clarion voice slices through the show’s labored attempts to be both fable and fabulous.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Fears made the first and third free-throw attempts for a 69-66 lead.
—Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2025
Officials said the violence spread across several city blocks as agents endured four separate attempts to ram their convoy, including near an FBI facility where demonstrators tried to breach the perimeter before police restored order.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Rae’s own early attempts at branching out through film and music were poorly received.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
Buffalo went 5/8 in the final two quarters yet ultimately finished 5/14, roughly 36% of their attempts.
—Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
Bailey lit the Yellow Jackets up through the air, completing 24 of 32 attempts for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
—Manny Navarro, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
During Zelenskyy's high-stakes visit to the White House in February, relations grew tense as the world leaders discussed attempts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025
Spoken by Carr at the start of that phone call in which Allura attempts to play nice.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
The move has cost the city more than $2 million so far as the newspaper company attempts to negotiate its way out of its long-term lease.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Who is really behind the kidnapping attempts?
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 8 Nov. 2025
There were no major returning actors or ongoing storylines, save for the Yautja’s somewhat inexplicable obsession with intergalactic trophy hunting, and most attempts to reboot the property failed to explain why this series should exist in the first place.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
For example, the Vanguard 500 attempts to replicate the S&P 500, a weighted index of the largest 500 stocks by market cap, by selecting stocks based on their prominence within that index.
—Mark Dent, HubSpot, 7 Nov. 2025
He’s made his last 14 conversions and is 19-for-19 on field goal attempts.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
The hilarious scene in which Arthur attempts to submit his resignation to Garfield is a prime example of what Death by Lightning has done so well, which is give history a little seriocomic zing.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
Even on low volume from deep (seven attempts), that’s a recipe for offensive success, and it was reflected in Mizzou’s 50 first-half points.
—Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2025
Her clarion voice slices through the show’s labored attempts to be both fable and fabulous.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Fears made the first and third free-throw attempts for a 69-66 lead.
—Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2025
Officials said the violence spread across several city blocks as agents endured four separate attempts to ram their convoy, including near an FBI facility where demonstrators tried to breach the perimeter before police restored order.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Rae’s own early attempts at branching out through film and music were poorly received.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
Buffalo went 5/8 in the final two quarters yet ultimately finished 5/14, roughly 36% of their attempts.
—Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
Bailey lit the Yellow Jackets up through the air, completing 24 of 32 attempts for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
—Manny Navarro, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
During Zelenskyy's high-stakes visit to the White House in February, relations grew tense as the world leaders discussed attempts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
Verb
The result often feels like tonal whiplash as the production attempts to scratch several itches without truly satisfying any.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025
Spoken by Carr at the start of that phone call in which Allura attempts to play nice.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
The move has cost the city more than $2 million so far as the newspaper company attempts to negotiate its way out of its long-term lease.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Who is really behind the kidnapping attempts?
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 8 Nov. 2025
There were no major returning actors or ongoing storylines, save for the Yautja’s somewhat inexplicable obsession with intergalactic trophy hunting, and most attempts to reboot the property failed to explain why this series should exist in the first place.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
For example, the Vanguard 500 attempts to replicate the S&P 500, a weighted index of the largest 500 stocks by market cap, by selecting stocks based on their prominence within that index.
—Mark Dent, HubSpot, 7 Nov. 2025
He’s made his last 14 conversions and is 19-for-19 on field goal attempts.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
The hilarious scene in which Arthur attempts to submit his resignation to Garfield is a prime example of what Death by Lightning has done so well, which is give history a little seriocomic zing.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempts
Noun
-
The Sabres, who still haven’t won a road game in five tries, play their next three games on the road against the Utah Mammoth, Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings, three teams that are rolling early in the season.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Zacha stuck with it and tapped home the GWG, giving the B’s their fourth win in as many tries in extra time this season.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This mountainous region is known for its lush forests, lakes and valleys – and for being a hotspot for this year’s deadly bear attacks in Japan.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a large portion of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal was destroyed during the first hours of the aerial attacks.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The development comes as Netflix strives to become more competitive with its peers in the battle to win ad dollars from Madison Avenue.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Everyone strives for that state and pours their love into it.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These nation-wide country-goes-city celebrations of agricultural bounty, mechanical innovations and skilled handcrafts have been drawing crowds since the first fair was held in upstate New York in 1841.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Miller was convicted of assaults on women aged 56, 68 and 22.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
-
According to his application, the assaults occurred between 2010 and 2023.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
There were stabs at horny lounge jazz, a melodramatic Latin guitar ballad, even a folksy blues number.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
18 Oct. 2025
-
But before that transition takes place, here are a few final stabs at what’s to come for the Timberwolves in the 2025-26 season.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Not only has Rodrigo been vocal in her opposition to Trump, endorsing his opponent Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, but she’s also specifically called out his harsh crackdown on immigration by way of ICE raids this past year.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Von had been Trump-friendly before the gruesome and heartbreaking videos of the ICE raids targeting working immigrants started going viral on social media.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
There’s something rare about Swain, who is a young brainiac, but one who has built his business the old-fashioned, pre-quant-trading and Excel models Wall Street way, via charm offensives that weave webs of tight relationships few rivals can match.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Since October 2023, Israel's ground and air offensives in Gaza have displaced more than 2 million people and killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to the AP.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempts. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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