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
Relevance
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
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
The Magic scored only 19 second-half points, the fewest for any half in playoff history, and made only one of their 20 fourth-quarter shot attempts.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 4 May 2026
There have been attempts to cast a Real Housewives in Chicago and Napa, and Cohen was particularly excited about a version in Boca Raton, FL.
—Peter White, Deadline, 4 May 2026
The charges also detail attempts by members of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization, from August 2023 to June 2025, to track down victim 2, reportedly living in Florida, to collect $30,000.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Previous attempts at extracting uranium ions have relied on a passive system in which adsorbents remain stationary and wait for uranium ions to pass through them for trapping.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
James was 0 for 3 from long range, Marcus Smart missed both of his attempts and Luke Kennard was 0 for 3.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
White’s Embiid rejection came on one of the few layup attempts by the superstar big man.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Cassie passes her days filming salacious content around the house, dressed as everything from a dog to a baby in her attempts to generate a following and get paid.
—Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
The wordless shot of the three guys enjoying doughnuts on their stakeout is worth a thousand hilarious words, and the back-and-forth where Greg attempts to get Officer Rory to convince Tommy to stay in college is very funny.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Armenia was reliant on its close alliance with Russia for the first three decades of its existence, ensuring its protection against Azerbaijani attempts to take Nagorno-Karabakh, which was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but under the de facto control of Armenia.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
When first responders eventually made it to the scene, CPR attempts on the twins were unsuccessful.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026
The then-club record £14million signing of Didier Ndong was disastrous, as were Moyes’ attempts to bring his Everton band back together with the signings of Victor Anichebe, Pienaar, Bryan Oviedo and Darron Gibson.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
While the High Court case is compiled, more protests are planned, including a fun run in Brisbane – from a river to the sea – to try to involve the broader public, who may not care about war in Gaza, but should care, organizers argue, about government attempts to censor speech.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
Walker converted zero short yardage rushing attempts a year ago.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2026
Cozytime Lumo attempts to offer both by combining infrared cooking with AI automation that always picks the ideal settings for different foods.
—Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
And of course Mike Brown pulled Mitchell Robinson, who missed four straight free throws when the 76ers began intentionally fouling him in the first quarter, only to continue extending the lead despite the Sixers’ attempts at stifling his rotation.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
The Magic scored only 19 second-half points, the fewest for any half in playoff history, and made only one of their 20 fourth-quarter shot attempts.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 4 May 2026
There have been attempts to cast a Real Housewives in Chicago and Napa, and Cohen was particularly excited about a version in Boca Raton, FL.
—Peter White, Deadline, 4 May 2026
The charges also detail attempts by members of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization, from August 2023 to June 2025, to track down victim 2, reportedly living in Florida, to collect $30,000.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Previous attempts at extracting uranium ions have relied on a passive system in which adsorbents remain stationary and wait for uranium ions to pass through them for trapping.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
James was 0 for 3 from long range, Marcus Smart missed both of his attempts and Luke Kennard was 0 for 3.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
White’s Embiid rejection came on one of the few layup attempts by the superstar big man.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Cassie passes her days filming salacious content around the house, dressed as everything from a dog to a baby in her attempts to generate a following and get paid.
—Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
Struggles with runners in scoring position hurt comeback attempts.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
The wordless shot of the three guys enjoying doughnuts on their stakeout is worth a thousand hilarious words, and the back-and-forth where Greg attempts to get Officer Rory to convince Tommy to stay in college is very funny.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Armenia was reliant on its close alliance with Russia for the first three decades of its existence, ensuring its protection against Azerbaijani attempts to take Nagorno-Karabakh, which was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but under the de facto control of Armenia.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
When first responders eventually made it to the scene, CPR attempts on the twins were unsuccessful.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026
The then-club record £14million signing of Didier Ndong was disastrous, as were Moyes’ attempts to bring his Everton band back together with the signings of Victor Anichebe, Pienaar, Bryan Oviedo and Darron Gibson.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
While the High Court case is compiled, more protests are planned, including a fun run in Brisbane – from a river to the sea – to try to involve the broader public, who may not care about war in Gaza, but should care, organizers argue, about government attempts to censor speech.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
Walker converted zero short yardage rushing attempts a year ago.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2026
Cozytime Lumo attempts to offer both by combining infrared cooking with AI automation that always picks the ideal settings for different foods.
—Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempts
Noun
-
The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame another valiant Lakers charge Thursday night to win their second game in two tries in the Western Conference semifinals at Paycom Center.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
England have comfortably beaten Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, the latter by running in 12 tries in an 84-7 victory, and after facing Italy this weekend, will travel to France for a likely Grand Slam decider on May 17.—
George Ramsay,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
In recent years, a litany of violent, seemingly unprovoked attacks across Metro led to the deaths or severe injury of several passengers—a confirmation of Angelenos’ worst fears about the system.—
Oren Peleg,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Earlier this week the United Nations blasted Israel over its strikes killing healthcare workers, saying the World Health Organization has recorded 151 such attacks resulting in 103 deaths and 230 injuries.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
As Miranda faces public outcry and the pressures of a downturning publishing industry, Andy once again strives for her approval amid her steadfast pursuit of rigorous journalism.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
2 May 2026
-
Dan Drazen, Trinity’s vice president of development, said the overarching redevelopment design strives to make Mary Shepard Place more resemble what the neighborhood looked like prior to the construction of Bellevue Square in 1942 and what still exists today in the surrounding area.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 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
-
Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless air assaults since Russia invaded their country more than four years ago.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless air assaults since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
While a warm, four-bar bassline chugs alongside dubby stabs and bouncy swells, BEA1991’s vocals switch from nonchalant monotone to falsetto in a way that sounds like an involuntary yelp of joy.—
Reid BG,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
His tight chord stabs, jazzy voicings and glinting tone are an indelible sonic signature, up there with Louis Armstrong’s trumpet blasts and Aretha Franklin’s rolling, tolling gospel piano.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Kripke has been praised for seemingly predicting the future, with the show lining up with real life events — including the latest season arriving as ICE raids hit America, with Homelander ordering similar raids.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
Shopping malls across Southern California have also struggled to bring sales back as immigration raids continue to scare customers away.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The Oilers won nine series in the last four years and represented the West in unsuccessful offensives against the Florida Panthers in each of the past two Junes.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
-
The army has retaken territory from ethnic militias, including the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which had launched powerful offensives along with pro-democracy resistance forces in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempts. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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