1
as in try
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 attack
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 to try
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 attempt
Paula Hancocks, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Nate Bargatze is ready to go hard core on Emmy Sunday in an attempt to keep winners’ speeches to 45 seconds or less.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Ricardo Brito, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Both squads are attempting to bounce back from Week 1 disappointment.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attempt
Noun
While Qatar has not closed the door on mediating peace in Gaza, the talks are at best in limbo, at worst lying in the embers of Israel’s most recent assassination attempt.
—Paula Hancocks, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Nate Bargatze is ready to go hard core on Emmy Sunday in an attempt to keep winners’ speeches to 45 seconds or less.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
The verdict marks the first time since Brazil became a republic almost 140 years ago that military officials have been punished for attempting to overthrow democracy.
—Ricardo Brito, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Both squads are attempting to bounce back from Week 1 disappointment.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attempt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempt
Noun
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How To Play Wordle Wordle is a daily word puzzle game where your goal is to guess a hidden five-letter word in six tries or fewer.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The Lancers trailed 24-0 at halftime and rallied in the second half before being turned away on a fourth down try at the Basha 14-yard line with 17 seconds left in the game.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bin Laden, through the al-Qaida terrorist organization, targeted the United States for nearly a decade before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, utilizing this large and expansive infrastructure.—
Richard Frankel,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Polish officials said 19 objects entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chronic striving has its downsides, though.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
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When multiple businesses strive to outdo each other, the result is better products, improved services and more choices for consumers.—
Levi King,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Frank Olton was discovered bound to a pole in the basement with multiple stab wounds after being doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire, police sources told the New York Post.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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Martin’s first stab at the genre can’t help but feel like a comedian’s interpretation — commenting from the outside looking in, rather than investing wholeheartedly.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In California’s strawberry fields, an ICE raid sparked widespread panic and disruption among farmworker communities.—
David Rodriguez Muñoz,
Freep.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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South Korean workers detained during a massive immigration raid in Georgia Thursday will be returned to South Korea on a chartered flight following negotiations, an official announced Sunday.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 142 drones into the country overnight into Monday morning, of which around 100 were Shahed strike drones and the rest decoy craft.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Not a strike of lightning from Heaven, but rather the perfect alignment of multiple moons, stars and galaxies.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Investigators later confirmed his DNA matched evidence from that case and others, including attacks in Okemos, Michigan, in 1994; Birmingham, Michigan, in 1995; and Columbus, Ohio, in 1997, as well as two assaults in Ventura in the early 1980s.—
Nour Rahal,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Though Smith was charged with four counts of assault for scaring and endangering the villagers, troopers did not say he was involved in his mother’s death.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For more than three years, Ukrainian soldiers, conscripts and ordinary civilians have given their lives to defend their country’s borders, and Vasyanovych is speaking to Variety just days before the latest onslaught of Russian missiles on Kyiv.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
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The component responsible for this, the divertor, must withstand this incredible onslaught, making its design a critical engineering challenge for the viability of fusion power.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempt. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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