attempt

attempt — verb

1. to put in real effort toward doing or achieving something, usually a task that i

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to put in real effort toward doing or achieving something, usually a task that is hard, risky, or unlikely to succeed.

Example

Ines attempted to climb the rock wall but slipped near the top.

attempt + to-infinitive for a hard physical task

The firefighters attempted a rescue through thick smoke on the third floor.

attempt + noun (object names the difficult task)

Common collocations
  • attempt to escape
  • attempt to climb
  • attempt to fix
  • attempt the exam
Synonyms
  • try

    much more everyday; 'attempt' sounds heavier and more formal

  • endeavour

    even more formal, often suggesting long sustained effort

  • undertake

    to formally take on a task, focus on commitment rather than effort

Antonyms
  • abandon

    to give up before reaching the goal

  • refuse

    to choose not to try at all

Grammar Patterns

attempt + to-infinitive

attempt + noun

Usage Note

Often carries a feeling that success was uncertain or did not happen — much more common in writing and news reports than 'try'. Frequently followed by a to-infinitive.

Common Mistakes

She attempted climbing the tree.
She attempted to climb the tree.
'attempt' takes a to-infinitive, not the -ing form.
I will attempt for the exam tomorrow.
I will attempt the exam tomorrow.
no preposition before the noun object.

attempt — noun

Word family

  • attempted
    adjectiveB2
  • unattempted
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words name the act of putting effort into doing something, but they sit on different points of a register and effort scale. 'Try' is the everyday choice and works for tiny actions ('Try this cake') as well as big ones. 'Attempt' is heavier and more formal, and it usually carries a quiet hint that success is not certain — news reports often write 'attempted to escape' rather than 'tried to escape'. 'Endeavour' is the most formal of the group and points to long, serious effort, often in writing or speeches: 'We endeavour to serve every customer with care.' 'Undertake' shifts the focus from effort to commitment — you undertake a project or duty by formally taking it on, even before any effort begins. 'Strive' adds a sense of struggle against difficulty, used for goals you keep working toward: 'She strives to improve every year.'

try ↗attempt ↗endeavour ↗undertake ↗strive ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • rescue attempt
  • escape attempt
  • suicide attempt
  • coup attempt
  • assassination attempt

Adverbs

Phrases

  • make an attempt
  • fail in an attempt
  • give up the attempt
  • at the first attempt

Prepositions

  • attempt at
  • attempt on
  • in an attempt to

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Came into English in the late 1300s from Old French 'attempter' (modern French 'attenter'), which itself was based on Latin 'attemptare' — built from 'ad-' meaning 'toward' plus 'temptare' meaning 'to feel out' or 'to test'. The same Latin root gave English the related words 'tempt' and 'tentative'. The earliest English uses kept the sense of 'putting something to the test', and by the 1500s the noun use ('an attempt') was settled. The narrower 'attack on someone's life' sense grew out of 'attempt' meaning 'to try with hostile intent', and is still preserved in the phrase 'an attempt on his life'.