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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of attempts
Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
That includes bank levies or attempts to garnish non-exempt income.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 May 2026
Clark scored 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting, making all nine of her free-throw attempts and nailing two 3-pointers.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
The Register made several attempts to reach the company to confirm the rumors, to no avail.
—Samantha Gowen, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Fox also erred in not dismissing attempts by Magness and Lee Watson to intervene in the lawsuit, the attorney general’s office claimed, saying neither has standing to take part in the litigation, since they aren’t named as defendants in the case.
—Arkansas Online, 18 May 2026
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the United Arab Emirates’ global hub strategy, Qatar’s investments in education and international sports and Oman’s logistics ambitions are serious attempts to answer that question.
—Daniel Benaim, Time, 18 May 2026
Allen went a perfect 7-for-7 on takedown attempts and used his straight left hand to consistently win exchanges on the feet against the streaking Brazilian.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Bellinger has recorded five steals on seven attempts.
—Data Skrive, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Dave Lozo, Fortune, 19 May 2026
This may seem in stark opposition to the aforementioned acoustic piety, but these dueling approaches form a beautiful medley of opposites, placing all things human right alongside all things divine, as Christophe attempts to ascertain the nature of both.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 May 2026
There's a long road ahead before Colossal attempts a moa resurrection using this artificial egg system.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
Federal attempts to access data could be limited by company policies.
—ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026
Because tobacco is powerfully addictive, most attempts to quit fail.
—Katharine Silbaugh, STAT, 19 May 2026
Interference happens when more than one person attempts to transmit at the same frequency.
—Margherita Bassi, Interesting Engineering, 19 May 2026
Even attempts to remove it can make the situation worse, as fragments can break off and spread further.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Benicio del Toro plays businessman Zsa-zsa Korda, who takes the most recent of several assassination attempts seriously.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 11 May 2026
Noun
After various attempts to get in contact with Jordan, Wendy, a LifeCare social worker, received a call from an unknown number.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
That includes bank levies or attempts to garnish non-exempt income.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 May 2026
Clark scored 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting, making all nine of her free-throw attempts and nailing two 3-pointers.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
The Register made several attempts to reach the company to confirm the rumors, to no avail.
—Samantha Gowen, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Fox also erred in not dismissing attempts by Magness and Lee Watson to intervene in the lawsuit, the attorney general’s office claimed, saying neither has standing to take part in the litigation, since they aren’t named as defendants in the case.
—Arkansas Online, 18 May 2026
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the United Arab Emirates’ global hub strategy, Qatar’s investments in education and international sports and Oman’s logistics ambitions are serious attempts to answer that question.
—Daniel Benaim, Time, 18 May 2026
Allen went a perfect 7-for-7 on takedown attempts and used his straight left hand to consistently win exchanges on the feet against the streaking Brazilian.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Bellinger has recorded five steals on seven attempts.
—Data Skrive, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Verb
That’s what some travelers flying out of Logan Airport in Boston will be able to do starting on June 1 as the TSA attempts to relieve congestion inside the terminal and at drop-off points.
—Dave Lozo, Fortune, 19 May 2026
This may seem in stark opposition to the aforementioned acoustic piety, but these dueling approaches form a beautiful medley of opposites, placing all things human right alongside all things divine, as Christophe attempts to ascertain the nature of both.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 May 2026
There's a long road ahead before Colossal attempts a moa resurrection using this artificial egg system.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
Federal attempts to access data could be limited by company policies.
—ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026
Because tobacco is powerfully addictive, most attempts to quit fail.
—Katharine Silbaugh, STAT, 19 May 2026
Interference happens when more than one person attempts to transmit at the same frequency.
—Margherita Bassi, Interesting Engineering, 19 May 2026
Even attempts to remove it can make the situation worse, as fragments can break off and spread further.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Benicio del Toro plays businessman Zsa-zsa Korda, who takes the most recent of several assassination attempts seriously.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempts
Noun
-
The White Sox beat the Royals 6-5 on Wednesday night at Rate Field for Chicago’s fourth victory in six tries against KC this season.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
-
Donovan Mitchell has never been out of the second round in eight previous tries.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
At the most recent debate, hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo 52 on May 6, the seven candidates again clashed over housing and immigration, while Becerra and Steyer faced fierce attacks from both sides of the political spectrum, The Los Angeles Times reported.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
As the United States has escalated its attacks on Iran, there’s something pleasingly transgressive about bringing Iranian elements into such overtly Western music—so much so that the songs without Yaghmai’s playing seem a little subdued in comparison.—
Molly Mary O’Brien,
Pitchfork,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
As Miranda faces public outcry and the pressures of a downturning publishing industry, Andy once again strives for her approval amid her steadfast pursuit of rigorous journalism.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
2 May 2026
-
Dan Drazen, Trinity’s vice president of development, said the overarching redevelopment design strives to make Mary Shepard Place more resemble what the neighborhood looked like prior to the construction of Bellevue Square in 1942 and what still exists today in the surrounding area.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 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
-
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the long-range strikes ‘entirely justified’ retaliation for Russian assaults on Kyiv, as Moscow reported intercepting more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones over its territory and occupied Crimea.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
-
One woman who hid during the attack at a music festival described hearing multiple assaults, according to the report.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
While a warm, four-bar bassline chugs alongside dubby stabs and bouncy swells, BEA1991’s vocals switch from nonchalant monotone to falsetto in a way that sounds like an involuntary yelp of joy.—
Reid BG,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Several other concerns were raised during the roughly three-hour hearing, including questions about how to best protect visitors and participants from federal immigration raids.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
While those behind the recent maritime raids have yet to be identified, previous ship captures have often involved young Somalis from impoverished communities and armed extremists affiliated with global terror networks.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The Oilers won nine series in the last four years and represented the West in unsuccessful offensives against the Florida Panthers in each of the past two Junes.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
1 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 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
