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attempt. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
attempt, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
attempt in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French atempter, from Latin attemptō (“I try, solicit”), from ad (“to”) + temptare, more correctly tentare (“to try”); see tempt.
The noun is from the 1530s, the sense "an assault on somebody's life, assassination attempt" (French attentat) is from 1580.
Pronunciation
Verb
attempt (third-person singular simple present attempts, present participle attempting, simple past and past participle attempted)
- To try.
- I attempted to sing, but my throat was too hoarse.
- to attempt an escape from prison
A group of 80 budding mountaineers attempted Kilimanjaro, but 30 of them didn't make it to the top.
2013 July-August, Sarah Glaz, “Ode to Prime Numbers”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.
- (obsolete) To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt.
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):Yet since I see you fearful, that neither my coat, integrity, nor persuasion can with ease attempt you, I will go further than I meant, to pluck all fears out of you.
- (archaic) To try to win, subdue, or overcome.
one who attempts the virtue of a woman
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:Dear sir, of force I must attempt you further: / Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute.
- (archaic) To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force.
to attempt the enemy's camp
1830, John Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic:without attempting his adversary's life
Usage notes
Synonyms
Translations
to try
- Afrikaans: probeer (af)
- American Sign Language: A@NearInsideChesthigh-PalmAcross-A@NearInsideChesthigh-PalmAcross A@InsideChesthigh-PalmDown-A@InsideChesthigh-PalmDown
- Arabic: حَاوَلَ (ar) (ḥāwala)
- Armenian: փորձել (hy) (pʿorjel)
- Azerbaijani: cəhd etmək, çalışmaq (az)
- Basque: saiatu
- Belarusian: спрабава́ць impf (sprabavácʹ), спрабава́ць pf (sprabavácʹ)
- Bulgarian: пробвам (bg) (probvam), опитвам (bg) (opitvam)
- Catalan: temptar (de), assajar (de), provar (de)
- Cherokee: ᎠᏁᏟᏗᎭ (anetlidiha)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 嘗試/尝试 (zh) (chángshì), 試/试 (zh) (shì), 試圖/试图 (zh) (shìtú)
- Crimean Tatar: ıntılmaq, tırışmaq
- Czech: zkusit (cs)
- Danish: forsøge (da), prøve (da)
- Dutch: pogen (nl), proberen (nl)
- Esperanto: provi
- Estonian: proovima (et), üritama, katsetama (et)
- Faroese: royna
- Finnish: yrittää (fi), koettaa (fi)
- French: tenter (fr), essayer (fr)
- Friulian: tentâ
- Galician: tentar (gl)
- Georgian: ცდა (cda)
- German: versuchen (de)
- Greek: αποπειρώμαι (el) (apopeirómai), επιχειρώ (el) (epicheiró), προσπαθώ (el) (prospathó)
- Ancient: πειράομαι (peiráomai)
- Hebrew: ניסה \ נִסָּה (nisá)
- Hindi: कोशिश करना (kośiś karnā)
- Icelandic: reyna (is)
- Indonesian: berupaya (id), berusaha (id), coba (id), mencoba (id), berniat (id)
- Irish: ionsaigh
- Italian: tentare (it), cercare (it), provare (it), attentare (it)
- Japanese: 試みる (ja) (こころみる, kokoromiru), 試す (ja) (ためす, tamesu)
- Khmer: please add this translation if you can
- Korean: 시도하다 (ko) (sidohada)
- Kyrgyz: аракет (ky) (araket), кол салуу (ky) (kol saluu), тажрыйба (ky) (tajrıyba), сынам (ky) (sınam), аракет кылуу (ky) (araket kıluu), тырышуу (ky) (tırışuu)
- Lao: ທົດສອບ (thot sǭp), ພະຍາຍາມ (pha nyā nyām)
- Latin: cōnor (la)
- Latvian: mēģināt
- Low German:
- German Low German: versöken
- Malagasy: manandrana (mg), manohatra (mg)
- Malayalam: ശ്രമിക്കുക (ml) (śramikkuka), പരിശ്രമിക്കുക (ml) (pariśramikkuka)
- Maori: whakamātau, tarai
- Mongolian: оролдох (mn) (oroldox)
- Norwegian: forsøke, prøve (no)
- Nynorsk: freista
- Occitan: temptar (de), assajar (de), ensajar (de), provar (de)
- Old English: onġinnan
- Old Norse: freista
- Persian: کوشش کردن (fa) (kušeš kardan)
- Polish: próbować (pl) impf, spróbować (pl) pf
- Portuguese: tentar (pt), intentar (pt), provar (pt)
- Romanian: încerca (ro)
- Russian: пыта́ться (ru) impf (pytátʹsja), попыта́ться (ru) pf (popytátʹsja), про́бовать (ru) impf (próbovatʹ), попро́бовать (ru) pf (popróbovatʹ), стара́ться (ru) impf (starátʹsja), постара́ться (ru) pf (postarátʹsja)
- Scots: ettle
- Scottish Gaelic: feuch
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Roman: pokušati (sh) pf, pokušavati (sh) impf
- Slovak: pokúšať sa impf, pokúsiť sa pf
- Slovene: poskušati impf, poskusiti pf
- Sorbian:
- Upper Sorbian: spytać
- Spanish: intentar (es), tratar de (es)
- Swedish: försöka (sv)
- Telugu: ప్రయత్నించు (te) (prayatniñcu)
- Thai: พยายาม (th) (pá-yaa-yaam)
- Ukrainian: про́бувати impf (próbuvaty), намага́тися impf (namahátysja)
- Urdu: کوشش کرنا (kośiś karnā)
- Venetian: tantar
- Vietnamese: cố gắng (vi)
- Volapük: steifülön (vo)
- Welsh: ymgeisio (cy)
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Noun
attempt (plural attempts)
- The action of trying at something.
- We made an attempt to cross the stream, but didn't manage.
- This poem is much better than the feeble attempt of mine.
- It was worth the attempt.
- No matter how many failed attempts we made, we maintained a positive attitude and tried again and again until we succeeded.
2012 March, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87:But was it responsible governance to pass the Longitude Act without other efforts to protect British seamen? Or might it have been subterfuge—a disingenuous attempt to shift attention away from the realities of their life at sea
- An assault or attack, especially an assassination attempt.
- 1584 No man can charge us of any attempt against the realm. (Allen's Defence Of English Catholics, cited after Edinburgh review 1883, p. 378)
Usage notes
- Adjectives often applied to "attempt": first, failed, desperate, last, half-hearted, unsuccessful, serious, successful, feeble, new, honest, vain, sincere, ambitious, earnest, clumsy, direct, hard, brilliant, official, useless, clever, sophisticated, amateurish.
Synonyms
Translations
the action of trying at something
- Afrikaans: poging (af), probeerslag
- Albanian: përpjekje (sq) f
- American Sign Language: A@NearInsideChesthigh-PalmAcross-A@NearInsideChesthigh-PalmAcross A@InsideChesthigh-PalmDown-A@InsideChesthigh-PalmDown
- Arabic: مُحَاوَلَة f (muḥāwala)
- Armenian: փորձ (hy) (pʿorj)
- Azerbaijani: cəhd (az)
- Basque: saio
- Belarusian: спро́ба f (spróba)
- Bengali: কোশেশ (bn) (kōśeś)
- Bulgarian: о́пит (bg) m (ópit), про́ба (bg) f (próba)
- Catalan: temptativa f, assaig (ca) mintent (ca) m, prova (ca) f, provatura (ca) f
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 嘗試/尝试 (zh) (chángshì)
- Czech: pokus (cs) m
- Danish: forsøg n
- Dutch: poging (nl) f (an action), probeersel (nl) n (making something)
- Esperanto: provo
- Estonian: katse
- Finnish: yritys (fi)
- French: tentative (fr) f
- Galician: tentativa f, tento m, intento m
- Georgian: ცდა (cda)
- German: Versuch (de) m, Bestreben (de) n, Bestrebung (de) f
- Greek: απόπειρα (el) f (apópeira), προσπάθεια (el) (prospátheia)
- Ancient: δοκιμή f (dokimḗ)
- Hebrew: ניסיון \ נִסָּיוֹן (he) m (nisayón)
- Hindi: कोशिश (hi) f (kośiś), प्रयास (hi) m (prayās)
- Hungarian: próbálkozás (hu)
- Indonesian: upaya (id), usaha (id), percobaan (id)
- Irish: ionsaí m, iarracht (ga) f
- Italian: tentativo (it), sforzo (it)
- Japanese: 試み (ja) (こころみ, kokoromi), 試し (ja) (ためし, tameshi)
- Khmer: please add this translation if you can
- Korean: 시도(試圖) (ko) (sido)
- Kriol: shat
- Latin: conatus, temptāmen n, temptāmentum n
- Latvian: mēģinājums m
- Lithuanian: bandymas m
- Macedonian: обид m (obid)
- Malay: percubaan
- Malayalam: ശ്രമം (ml) (śramaṁ), പരിശ്രമം (ml) (pariśramaṁ)
- Maori: whakamātaunga, nganatanga
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: оролдлого (mn) (oroldlogo)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: forsøk (no) n
- Occitan: temptativa f, assag (oc) mensag (oc) m, pròva (oc) f,
- Persian: کوشش (fa) (kušeš)
- Polish: próba (pl) f, podejście (pl) m
- Portuguese: tentativa (pt) f, intento (pt)
- Romanian: încercare (ro) f
- Russian: попы́тка (ru) f (popýtka), про́ба (ru) f (próba), о́пыт (ru) m (ópyt)
- Scottish Gaelic: feuchainn f
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: по̏куша̄ј m
- Roman: pȍkušāj (sh) m
- Slovak: pokus m
- Slovene: poskus (sl) m
- Spanish: tentativa (es) f, intento (es) m, ensayo (es) m, conato m
- Swedish: försök (sv) n
- Tajik: кӯшиш (tg) (küšiš)
- Telugu: ప్రయత్నం (te) (prayatnaṁ)
- Thai: ความพยายาม (th) (kwaam-pá-yaa-yaam)
- Turkish: deneme (tr)
- Ukrainian: спро́ба f (spróba)
- Urdu: کوشش f (kośiś)
- Uzbek: urinish (uz)
- Vietnamese: sự thử (vi)
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Further reading
- “attempt”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “attempt”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “attempt”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.