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
Example Sentences
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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
-
Signature shareable paellas and housemade sangria pitchers are must-tries across its three San Antonio locations—one of which hides the popular underground speakeasy, Cellar Mixology.—
Kat Stinson,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Jalen Brunson scored 35 points, Josh Hart added 21 and the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals for the first time in three tries by beating the struggling Toronto Raptors 117-101 on Tuesday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Teams are targeting the champions down their right side, channelling more of their attacks onto that flank.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
-
November saw the highest number of attacks yet in a single month, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project, and CNN’s analysis.—
Vasco Cotovio,
CNN Money,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Rahma strives for a cinema-verité aesthetic, with footage sometimes shot on vintage digital cameras, but the show’s style can’t overcome the limits of its format.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
-
China is looking to spend nearly $300 billion over the next five years to build more data centers across the country, as Beijing strives to gain ground on the US in the AI race.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
9 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
-
Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street announced Tuesday that the 2026 Downtown Days festival will be its last, citing safety concerns after fights, assaults and property damage marred Saturday evening’s event.—
Ian Cummings,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
-
The column urges other scientific bodies to see this episode as a warning that neutrality in the face of organized assaults on science is itself a political choice that risks long‑term damage to research and public health.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
That definitely took a lot of stabs.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
19 May 2026
-
Fans take their own stabs pro bono, posting to Reddit their predictions for the draft’s first round, or their bespoke guesses for all two hundred and fifty-seven picks.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Masked federal officers have conducted nighttime raids, terrorizing entire neighborhoods and taking people without warrants.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Trump has sent troops to multiple cities across the country, including the deployment of thousands of National Guard members and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles over the summer after protests broke out in the city over immigration raids.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
9 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In response, guerrilla groups of liberals and the left emerged, gathering thousands of people in rural areas and launching offensives against the army.—
Roberto Andrés,
The Dial,
28 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 17 Jun. 2026.
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