attempt
English · Thesaurus
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attempt
- /əˈtɛm(p)t/
Rhymes with -ɛmpt
Where it comes from
Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French atempter, from Latin attemptō (“to try, solicit”), from ad- (“to”) + temptō; see tempt.
The noun is from the 1530s, the sense "an assault on somebody's life, assassination attempt" (French attentat) is from 1580. By surface analysis, at- + tempt.
verb attempts · attempting · attempted · attempt
- To try. to attempt an escape from prison
- To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt. 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.
- To try to win, subdue, or overcome. one who attempts the virtue of a woman
- To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force. to attempt the enemy’s camp
- To make a substantial but unsuccessful effort (to commit a crime). Whoever takes a direct and immediate step towards the realisation of the offence as envisaged by them attempts to commit an offence.
Similar: take a stab at, take a run at, assay, essay, seek
noun attempts
- The action of trying at something. We made an attempt to cross the stream, but didn’t manage.
- An assault or attack, especially an assassination attempt. No man can charge us of any attempt against the realm.
- A substantial but unsuccessful effort (to commit a crime). Whoever voluntarily abandons the further commission of the offence or prevents its completion incurs no penalty for attempt.
- An act of trying to commit suicide Her attempt was not successful, and resulted in her being hospitalized.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: try, assay, endeavour, endeavor, seek, set about, undertake, effort, attack, essay, endeavouring, strive, search, quest, striving, pursue
verb
Similar: take a stab at, take a run at, assay, essay, seek
Translations
Every language
verb to try
| Español | intentar, tratar de, acometer, ver de |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 시도하다 sidohada |
| 日本語 | 試みる kokoromiru, 試す tamesu |
| 中文 | 嘗試 /尝试 chángshì, 試 /试 shì, 試圖 /试图 shìtú |
| हिन्दी | कोशिश करना kośiś karnā |
| Português | tentar, intentar, provar |
| Français | tenter, essayer |
| Deutsch | versuchen |
| Italiano | tentare, cercare, provare, attentare |
| Ελληνικά | αποπειρώμαι apopeirómai, επιχειρώ epicheiró, προσπαθώ prospathó |
| Română | încerca |
| Русский | пыта́ться pytátʹsja, попыта́ться popytátʹsja, про́бовать próbovatʹ, попро́бовать popróbovatʹ, стара́ться starátʹsja, постара́ться postarátʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | cố gắng |
| العربية | حَاوَلَ ḥāwala |
| עברית | ניסה \ נִסָּה nisá |
noun the action of trying at something
| Español | tentativa, intento, ensayo, intentona |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 시도 sido |
| 日本語 | 試み kokoromi, 試し tameshi |
| 中文 | 嘗試 /尝试 chángshì |
| हिन्दी | प्रयास prayās, प्रयत्न prayatna, कोशिश kośiś |
| Português | tentativa, intento |
| Français | tentative, essai |
| Deutsch | Versuch, Bestreben, Bestrebung |
| Italiano | tentativo, sforzo |
| Ελληνικά | απόπειρα apópeira, προσπάθεια prospátheia |
| Română | încercare |
| Русский | попы́тка popýtka, про́ба próba, о́пыт ópyt |
| Tiếng Việt | sự thử |
| العربية | مُحَاوَلَة muḥāwala |
| עברית | ניסיון \ נִסָּיוֹן nisayón |
Talk about this word "attempt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/attempt. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. attempt. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/attempt "attempt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/attempt.Cite this
@misc{attempt_2026,
title = {attempt},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/attempt},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
