ATTEMPT Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'attempt' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of attempt are endeavor , essay , strive , and try . While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort. // will attempt to photograph the rare bird

Q: When is it sensible to use 'endeavor' instead of 'attempt'?

The words endeavor and attempt can be used in similar contexts, but endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty. // endeavored to find crash survivors in the mountains

Q: When could 'essay' be used to replace 'attempt'?

While in some cases nearly identical to attempt , essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting. // will essay a dramatic role for the first time

Q: When might 'strive' be a better fit than 'attempt'?

The meanings of strive and attempt largely overlap; however, strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort. // continues to strive for peace

Q: How do 'try' and 'attempt' relate to one another?

Try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something. // tried to determine which was the better procedure

attempt 1 of 2

noun

Definition of attempt

as in try

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

as in attack

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

attempt

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈtem(p)t

as in to try

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb attempt differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of attempt are endeavor, essay, strive, and try. While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

will attempt to photograph the rare bird

When is it sensible to use endeavor instead of attempt?

The words endeavor and attempt can be used in similar contexts, but endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

endeavored to find crash survivors in the mountains

When could essay be used to replace attempt?

While in some cases nearly identical to attempt, essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

will essay a dramatic role for the first time

When might strive be a better fit than attempt?

The meanings of strive and attempt largely overlap; however, strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

continues to strive for peace

How do try and attempt relate to one another?

Try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

tried to determine which was the better procedure

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 attempt

Noun

By this reasoning, federal agencies must be allowed to complete rulemaking before judges intervene, and challenges to the order are portrayed as speculative attempts to stop reforms that could be crafted within constitutional limits. — Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 As the Middle East analysts Shira Efron and Danny Citrinowicz have argued in Foreign Affairs, the attempts by Syria’s new government to counter those operations could result in Israel and Syria becoming lasting adversaries. — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

Verb

Limiting offenses without also limiting defenses might allow the United States, in a crisis, to attempt a surprise attack on Russia or China and then rely on its powerful defenses to neutralize any surviving forces. — Jeffrey Lewis, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026 An officer attempted a traffic stop, but police said the driver fled and a pursuit ensued. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for attempt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for attempt

Noun

By default, these devices mark the wearer not only as a geek, but as a try-hard and an egoist.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
All that said, Vedder didn’t completely nail it on his first try.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of try

Verb

OpenAI is striving to regain the initiative in the AI race against a backdrop of growing anxiety from experts, tech leaders, and the public over the risks of frontier AI.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Behind every bottle lies a world shaped by ritual and inheritance, and by those striving to preserve or transform it.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of strive

Noun

Her body was discovered by children and had stab wounds, severe head injuries and injuries consistent with strangling.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Weighing cost and value The administration hasn't said how much the 18-month Bridge program could cost, but the nonpartisan health research group KFF took a stab.

— Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of stab

Noun

Last month, burglars stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry from the museum of French luxury glassmaker Lalique in a daring early morning raid.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
According to witnesses of the raid, local police and Canyon County sheriff’s deputies assisted ICE agents by zip-tying children and detaining people without asking about their immigration status.

— Rachel Spacek, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of raid

Noun

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued several states that have tried to treat prediction market sites as a form of gambling, a type of legal offensive the agency has never before embarked on.

— Bobby Allyn, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
More than four decades ago, after months of setbacks in the war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, thousands of young Iranian troops launched a surprise offensive that turned the tide.

— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of offensive

Browse Nearby Words

attars

attempt

attempted

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Attempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attempt. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of attempt

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on attempt

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

apiary

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes