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
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Bane specifically has seen a decrease in long-range accuracy and number of open attempts as well, something Carter mentioned.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
The map has twice the resolution of previous attempts using the Hubble Space Telescope and captures hundreds of thousands of galaxies over the past 10 billion years.
—CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
All attempts at solving it then remain somewhat speculative as the case is an open homicide.
—Nathan Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The 4-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene, despite attempts to resuscitate her by first responders.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
Teams clearly targeted Dezz Ricks (68 pass attempts this season) more than Lee III (59).
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 26 Jan. 2026
Maye was just 10-of-21 for 86 yards but added 65 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushing attempts in snowy, windy conditions.
—Doug Kyed, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
The meeting comes as Tokyo seeks to rein in a deepening diplomatic and trade rift with China while strengthening ties with allies to counter Beijing’s attempts to isolate Japan.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 28 Jan. 2026
In the psychological horror story, ambitious young psychiatrist Parker attempts to make a name for himself by treating Josephine Todd (Berry), the famously incurable patient at his hospital.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
Stripped of fame, family and money, Gen attempts an unlikely comeback.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
Amikam Norkin, and the former Commander of the Israeli Air Force, have endorsed this deal, supporting Elbit Systems’ attempts to enhance tactical UAV capabilities while adhering to evolving military operational requirements.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026
Weinstein also denied prosecutors’ attempts to prevent Corozzo from representing reputed Gambino associate Michael Scarpaci in a 2010 fraud case.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026
Georgia only made nine of its 24 field goal attempts in the second half, as Texas outscored the Bulldogs by 27 points.
—Olivia Sayer, AJC.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Storms also bring scams and fraud attempts Severe weather creates ideal conditions for scams.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Senior center Serah Williams exited the game seconds into the third quarter with an apparent injury to her right lower leg and did not return, finishing with a single rebound and no field goal attempts in eight minutes.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
Santos let 13 shot attempts fly, including 1-of-6 from behind the arc.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Bane specifically has seen a decrease in long-range accuracy and number of open attempts as well, something Carter mentioned.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
The map has twice the resolution of previous attempts using the Hubble Space Telescope and captures hundreds of thousands of galaxies over the past 10 billion years.
—CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
All attempts at solving it then remain somewhat speculative as the case is an open homicide.
—Nathan Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The 4-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene, despite attempts to resuscitate her by first responders.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
Teams clearly targeted Dezz Ricks (68 pass attempts this season) more than Lee III (59).
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 26 Jan. 2026
Maye was just 10-of-21 for 86 yards but added 65 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushing attempts in snowy, windy conditions.
—Doug Kyed, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
The meeting comes as Tokyo seeks to rein in a deepening diplomatic and trade rift with China while strengthening ties with allies to counter Beijing’s attempts to isolate Japan.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
Throughout his appearances in court and trial hearings, Yoon has repeatedly resisted investigators’ attempts to question him about his wife.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 28 Jan. 2026
In the psychological horror story, ambitious young psychiatrist Parker attempts to make a name for himself by treating Josephine Todd (Berry), the famously incurable patient at his hospital.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
Stripped of fame, family and money, Gen attempts an unlikely comeback.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
Amikam Norkin, and the former Commander of the Israeli Air Force, have endorsed this deal, supporting Elbit Systems’ attempts to enhance tactical UAV capabilities while adhering to evolving military operational requirements.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026
Weinstein also denied prosecutors’ attempts to prevent Corozzo from representing reputed Gambino associate Michael Scarpaci in a 2010 fraud case.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026
Georgia only made nine of its 24 field goal attempts in the second half, as Texas outscored the Bulldogs by 27 points.
—Olivia Sayer, AJC.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Storms also bring scams and fraud attempts Severe weather creates ideal conditions for scams.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Senior center Serah Williams exited the game seconds into the third quarter with an apparent injury to her right lower leg and did not return, finishing with a single rebound and no field goal attempts in eight minutes.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempts
Noun
-
His scoring has dipped since conference play began, with only three double-digit games in eight tries.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
-
All 22 point-after-touchdown tries made.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While Russian state media said that the ceasefire went into effect, Ukraine’s military said attacks continued throughout the period.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The horrific killing, attacks, and raids in Minneapolis rightfully overshadowed a weekend intended for buzzy discoveries and bidding wars.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Gensert stressed that while RideSD is a voice for young transit riders, the group strives to represent everyone who uses transit.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Using the power of humour, music and entertainment, Em’s work strives to affect audiences who may not usually engage with ocean conservation.—
Mandeep Rai,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Choose from 21 colors, from goes-with-everything black to standout prints and textures, including holiday-ready velvet or sequins.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Weaver reminded us of the coat’s versatility while wearing a goes-with-everything matte black version.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Federal officials have said agents, including those part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are seeing increases in assaults and threats against them.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
-
As in previous years, almost all the assaults on responsible growth management start with the premise that local government leaders can’t be trusted to guide (or even listen to) their own communities.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Does anyone, including the creators of this admittedly atmospheric combo of supernatural spookiness, miscellaneous folk-horror debris, slasher-flick shenanigans, vague stabs at gender politics, and blatant cakesploitation?—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 Nov. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
Both raids took place on Thursday, and no soldiers were killed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The ban came after a series of immigration raids in and around Los Angeles, where federal agents were spotted wearing masks.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The report said Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 49 to 230 feet per day in their most prominent offensives.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The report said Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 49 to 230 feet per day in their most prominent offensives.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempts. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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