Definitions for attempt
əˈtɛmptat·tempt

Princeton's WordNet(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. attempt, effort, endeavor, endeavour, trynoun

   earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

   "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"

2. attack, attemptverb

   the act of attacking

   "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life"

3. try, seek, attempt, essay, assayverb

   make an effort or attempt

   "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"

4. undertake, set about, attemptverb

   enter upon an activity or enterprise

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. attemptnoun

   The action of trying at something.

2. attemptnoun

   An assault or attack, especially an assassination attempt.

3. attemptverb

   To try.

4. Etymology: Late 14th century, from atempter, from attempto, from ad + temptare, more correctly tentare; see tempt.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Attemptnoun

   Etymology: from the verb.

   1. An attack.

   If we be always prepared to receive an enemy, we shall long live in peace and quietness, without any attempts upon us. Francis Bacon.

   2. An essay; an endeavour.

   Alack! I am afraid, they have awak’d;
   And ’tis not done, th’ attempt, and not the deed,
   Confounds us. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   He would have cry’d; but hoping that he dreamt,
   Amazement ty’d his tongue, and stopp’d th’ attempt. Dryd.

   I subjoin the following attempt towards a natural history of fossils. John Woodward, on Fossils.

2. To Attemptverb

   Etymology: attenter, Fr.

   1. To attack; to invade; to venture upon.

   He flatt’ring his displeasure,
   Tript me behind, got praises of the king,
   For him attempting who was self-subdu’d. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.

   Who, in all things wise and just,
   Hinder’d not Satan to attempt the mind
   Of man; with strength entire, and free-will, arm’d. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. x.

   I have been so hardy to attempt upon a name, which among some is yet very sacred. Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis, Preface.

   2. To try; to endeavour.

   I have nevertheless attempted to send unto you, for the renewing of brotherhood and friendship. 1 Macc. xii. 17.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Attemptverb

   to make trial or experiment of; to try; to endeavor to do or perform (some action); to assay; as, to attempt to sing; to attempt a bold flight

2. Attemptverb

   to try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt

3. Attemptverb

   to try to win, subdue, or overcome; as, one who attempts the virtue of a woman

4. Attemptverb

   to attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force; as, to attempt the enemy's camp

5. Attemptverb

   to make an attempt; -- with upon

6. Attemptnoun

   a essay, trial, or endeavor; an undertaking; an attack, or an effort to gain a point; esp. an unsuccessful, as contrasted with a successful, effort

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Attempt

   Attempt in criminal law is an offense that occurs when a person comes dangerously close to carrying out a criminal act, and intends to commit the act, but does not in fact commit it. The person may have carried out all the necessary steps but still failed, or the attempt may have been abandoned or prevented at a late stage. The attempt must have gone beyond mere planning or preparation, and is distinct from other Inchoate offenses such as conspiracy to commit a crime or solicitation of a crime. There are many specific crimes of attempt, such as attempted murder, which may vary by jurisdiction. Punishment is often less severe than would be the case if the attempted crime had been carried out. Abandonment of the attempt may constitute a not guilty defence, depending partly on the extent to which the attempt was abandoned freely and voluntarily. Early common law did not punish attempts; the law of attempt was not recognised by common law until the case of b. Rex v. Scofield in 1784. The essence of the crime of attempt in legal terms is that the defendant has failed to commit the actus reus of the full offense, but has the direct and specific intent to commit that full offense.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Attempt

   at-temt′, v.t. to try or endeavour: to try to obtain: tempt, entice: to make an effort or attack upon.—v.i. to make an attempt or trial.—n. a trial: endeavour or effort: a personal assault: (Milton) temptation: (law) any act which can fairly be described as one of a series which, if uninterrupted and successful, would constitute a crime.—n. Attemptabil′ity.—adj. Attempt′able, that may be attempted.—n. Attempt′er (Milton), a tempter. [O. Fr. atempter—L. attentāre—ad, and tem-pt, tentāre, to try—tendĕre, to stretch.]

Matched Categories

1. • Initiate

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'attempt' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1111

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'attempt' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3264

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'attempt' in Nouns Frequency: #314

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'attempt' in Verbs Frequency: #262

How to pronounce attempt?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say attempt in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of attempt in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of attempt in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of attempt in a Sentence

1. Sam Donaldson:

   Enemy of the People, history shows that tyrants and would-be tyrants always attempt to destroy a free press. And that is why the First Amendment to our Constitution specifically forbids government from interfering with the work of the press.

2. Flying Food:

   This so-called report is just the latest example of labor union UNITE HERE making false allegations and exploiting our employees in a desperate attempt to disrupt our business and advance their union agenda, ensuring the quality and safety of our food is of the utmost importance to us.

3. Bill Clinton:

   There has been a very deliberate attempt to take the foundation down, there’s almost no new fact that wasn’t known the first time she ran for president.

4. Kort E. Patterson:

   Some informants spied on their neighbors because they actually believed the propaganda… Some denounced their enemies in order to settle personal grudges. Some were driven by their own fears to attempt to deflect attention away from themselves…Some were motivated by the sense of power turning in their neighbors gave them.

5. Jeneda Benally:

   This is my desperate attempt to ensure that our culture continues to exist, even though we're losing people, this knowledge still exists. I don't want our people to sink into a depression.

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