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
James Pearce, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Minnesota made just eight of 33 three-point attempts and committed 20 turnovers while being held under 100 points for just the second time this season.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
That was despite Kaley’s mother’s attempts to use third-party software to block access to the platforms, according to her complaint.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Promising Young Woman, her directorial debut, got off to an electric start before eventually collapsing under the weight of its own attempts to delve into rage at a world that normalizes and trivializes rape.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
Super Bowl 60 saw the Seattle Seahawks claim victory over the New England Patriots, but there were plenty of other winners — and losers — off the field during the game, with some brands scoring with their commercials and others fumbling their attempts for a loss.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The 28-year-old quarterback started slowly, completing only six of his first 17 pass attempts against a ferocious Patriots pass rush.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Rats on liraglutide, however, stopped after a few dozen attempts.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Santos let 13 shot attempts fly, including 1-of-6 from behind the arc.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Michael Rios, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
The market is now eagerly awaiting signs that attempts by De Meo — whose surprise appointment last year marked the company’s first outsider CEO — to turn Kering around are starting to bear fruit.
—Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
When American star Jordan Stolz attempts to win four individual gold medals in speed skating, data on his runs will be sent back via an Omega transponder worn on his ankle.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
Louisville built the lead to 28-6 over the Orange (19-5, 9-4) as Syracuse missed all 13 of its field goal attempts in the first 10 minutes.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Myers hit all five of his field goal attempts, and Dickson downed three punts inside the 6-yard line while allowing only two returns for 4 yards, not to mention multiple clean holds on field goal attempts after slightly wayward snaps.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Throughout the season, Grant has played 33 minutes off the bench and made three of nine field goal attempts.
—Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
As the state of California attempts to bridge the digital divide, support from Lifeline providers such as AirTalk stays extremely relevant in connecting underserved communities.
—William Jones, Sacbee.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Further complicating matters is the fact that, as the sport attempts to appeal to younger generations, this year the International Skating Union is mandating ice dancers perform to music from the 1990s.
—Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
Salah, who had five attempts, has failed to score in his last seven league appearances.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Minnesota made just eight of 33 three-point attempts and committed 20 turnovers while being held under 100 points for just the second time this season.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
That was despite Kaley’s mother’s attempts to use third-party software to block access to the platforms, according to her complaint.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Promising Young Woman, her directorial debut, got off to an electric start before eventually collapsing under the weight of its own attempts to delve into rage at a world that normalizes and trivializes rape.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
Super Bowl 60 saw the Seattle Seahawks claim victory over the New England Patriots, but there were plenty of other winners — and losers — off the field during the game, with some brands scoring with their commercials and others fumbling their attempts for a loss.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The 28-year-old quarterback started slowly, completing only six of his first 17 pass attempts against a ferocious Patriots pass rush.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Rats on liraglutide, however, stopped after a few dozen attempts.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Santos let 13 shot attempts fly, including 1-of-6 from behind the arc.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
The development comes as the US attempts to cut its long-time communist foe Havana off from receiving oil deliveries from its regional neighbors, a move that has exacerbated a long-standing fuel crisis on the Caribbean island.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
The market is now eagerly awaiting signs that attempts by De Meo — whose surprise appointment last year marked the company’s first outsider CEO — to turn Kering around are starting to bear fruit.
—Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
When American star Jordan Stolz attempts to win four individual gold medals in speed skating, data on his runs will be sent back via an Omega transponder worn on his ankle.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
Louisville built the lead to 28-6 over the Orange (19-5, 9-4) as Syracuse missed all 13 of its field goal attempts in the first 10 minutes.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Myers hit all five of his field goal attempts, and Dickson downed three punts inside the 6-yard line while allowing only two returns for 4 yards, not to mention multiple clean holds on field goal attempts after slightly wayward snaps.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Throughout the season, Grant has played 33 minutes off the bench and made three of nine field goal attempts.
—Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
As the state of California attempts to bridge the digital divide, support from Lifeline providers such as AirTalk stays extremely relevant in connecting underserved communities.
—William Jones, Sacbee.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Further complicating matters is the fact that, as the sport attempts to appeal to younger generations, this year the International Skating Union is mandating ice dancers perform to music from the 1990s.
—Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempts
Noun
-
The Jayhawks, led by White’s five 3’s in seven tries, went 12-of-24 from 3 to ISU’s 9-of-27.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Cowens and the other four judges – NBA greats Cazzie Russell and Satch Sanders, as well as Roger Staubach and Martina Navratilova – gave Dominique and Spud perfect 50s on their first tries.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 10,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The administration’s attacks on Lemon and independent journalists have boosted their online attention and revenue.—
Drew Harwell,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cohen said that Harpers, which is also 100 years old this year, strives to make its customers comfortable enough to just come in and visit without necessarily buying anything.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The 57-year-old now strives for something even more elusive and meaningful than success in the nation’s top baseball conference.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Choose from 21 colors, from goes-with-everything black to standout prints and textures, including holiday-ready velvet or sequins.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Weaver reminded us of the coat’s versatility while wearing a goes-with-everything matte black version.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Instead, Jackson blamed anti-ICE rhetoric for a sharp increase in assaults on immigration officers, a claim frequently cited by the administration, despite previous reporting showing such a rise is not backed by public records.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Russian forces have consequently lost command-and-control capabilities and navigation for drones, and assaults have stopped in many sectors, according to Fedorov's adviser Serhii Beskrestnov.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And Mogen suffered 28 stabs wounds, including on her scalp, face, and neck, and five to her chest, according to the documents.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In rapid fire, five stabs penetrated Rivera’s chest, head, and shoulder.—
Mattha Busby,
Rolling Stone,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Charges against 17 people arrested during demonstrations against Operation Midway Blitz immigration raids around Chicagoland last year have been dismissed as prosecutorial accusations have faded.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Israeli settler violence and settlement expansion has grown, and daily Palestinian life has been choked by movement restrictions and military raids.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The report said Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 49 to 230 feet per day in their most prominent offensives.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The report said Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 49 to 230 feet per day in their most prominent offensives.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempts. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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