From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishattemptat‧tempt1 /əˈtempt/ ●●● S2 W1 noun [countable] 1 TRY TO DO OR GET somethingan act of trying to do something, especially something difficultattempt to do something All attempts to control inflation have failed.attempt at (doing) something her feeble attempts at humourat the first/second etc attempt She passed her driving test at the first attempt.2 → make no attempt to do something3 → an attempt on somebody’s lifeCOLLOCATIONSverbsmake an attemptShe made several attempts to escape.abandon/give up an attemptThey had to abandon their attempt to climb the mountain.fail/succeed in your attemptHe failed in his attempt to set a new Olympic record.foil/thwart an attempt formal (=make it fail)Troops loyal to the general foiled the assassination attempt.an attempt fails/succeedsAll attempts to find a cure have failed.adjectiveson the first/second etc attempt (also at the first/second etc attempt British English)The car started at the second attempt.a vain attempt (=one that does not succeed)They worked through the night in a vain attempt to finish on schedule. a desperate attempt (=that involves a lot of effort)Doctors made a desperate attempt to save his life.a deliberate/conscious attemptHis question was a deliberate attempt to humiliate her.a serious/genuine attemptThis is the first serious attempt to tackle the problem.an unsuccessful/successful attemptan unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the governmentan abortive attempt formal (=unsuccessful)They made an abortive attempt to keep the company going.a futile attempt (= certain to fail and not worth doing)I jumped up and down in a futile attempt to keep warm.a doomed attempt (=certain to fail, and causing something very bad to happen)His attempt to reach the Pole was doomed from the beginning.a brave/bold/gallant/valiant attempt approving (=one that you admire, but that is unsuccessful)The previous government made a brave attempt to tackle the problem.She made a valiant attempt to continue playing, but the pain was too much.a blatant attempt disapproving (=when someone openly tries to do something bad)It was a blatant attempt to hide the truth.a final/last attemptThey made one final attempt to make their marriage work.a last-ditch attempt (=a final attempt to achieve something before it is too late)Negotiators are making a last-ditch attempt to save the agreement.NOUN + attempta rescue attemptTwo firefighters were hurt in the rescue attempt.an assassination attempt (=an attempt to kill a leader)De Gaulle survived an assassination attempt in 1961.a suicide attempt (=an attempt to kill yourself)He was admitted to hospital after a suicide attempt.a coup attempt (=an attempt to change the government, usually by force)The US helped to crush the coup attempt.
Examples from the Corpus
attempt• It began an attempt to do this in several policy documents.• The government has announced that it will fund an extra 10,000 doctors in an attempt to reduce waiting times for operations.• The climbers will make another attempt to reach the summit today.• It was a deliberate attempt to mislead the voters.• This was an incredible result bearing in mind the general statistics of 98 percent failure rates reported for most dieting attempts.• After four attempts, Mike finally passed his driving test.• a field-goal attempt• Dissent has occurred at times among university students in attempts to radicalise dominant ideas.• They ploughed cash into marketing attempts and even won a prize from the local council.• All my attempts to get the machine working failed miserably.• During a meeting at the Diamond police restrained attempts by loyalist and Catholic youths to break through their fines.• The attempt at adding-machine accuracy shows how serious the priests were about numbering the new saints bound for heaven.• He had been told also, in whispered confidence, that two attempts against the target had failed.at the first/second etc attempt• However, Tim Flowers' stand-in was up to the shot and knocked the ball down before gathering at the second attempt.• It was clear that the Government were not able to get their legislation right at the first attempt.• Once again he blasted out at the first attempt, reeling back amid a cloud of sand and covering his eyes.• She hoped Daak could get the shuttle in at the first attempt.• The longest he had ever stayed off was six months, at the first attempt.• Then McCaughan saved well from Mulholland before McKeeman flicked Portrush's equaliser over the keeper at the second attempt.• Victory was clinched when Lynn Marriner surged upfield and slipped a pass through to Oehlers who scored at the second attempt.attemptattempt2 ●●● S2 W2 verb [transitive] 1 TRY TO DO OR GET somethingto try to do something, especially something difficultattempt to do something In this chapter I will attempt to explain what led up to the revolution.attempt something Weather conditions prevented them from attempting the jump.► see thesaurus at try2 → attempted murder/suicide/rape etcGRAMMAR: Comparisonattempt• You attempt to do something: They were attempting to climb the mountain.• You attempt something: The prisoners attempted an escape.try• You try to do something: I tried to call him at home.• In everyday spoken English, you say that you will try and do something (=try to do something): I will try and call him at home.• If you try something, you taste or experience something for the first time: I’ve never tried sushi before.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
attempt• Do not attempt any diet without consulting your family doctor or specialist.• A rescue was attempted by Coast Guards, but it was not successful.• No one has attempted this experiment before.• They are attempting to become the first to climb Everest without oxygen tanks.• For instance, the company is attempting to bring Internet access to a mass consumer audience through an agreement with Continental Cablevision.• Some analysts are attempting to discipline the confused setting, primarily by studying what has happened in similar circumstances.• Any prisoner who attempts to escape will be shot.• At the time, ScotRail was also attempting to get through a similar application for the junction at Westerton, outside Glasgow.• Someone had attempted to open the car door.• Vying for your custom, each site attempts to provide something a little different.• These questions are especially germane in comparative research, where the analyst attempts to specify how the structure-function patterns vary between states.• Brown believes the Greys are attempting to speed human evolution and enhance our spirituality by creating humans with some Grey genes.attempt to do something• The doctoral student was apparently attempting to change a flat tire when his assailant struck.• The police account was that Garcia was shot while struggling with officers who were attempting to disarm him.• Firefighters spent more than eight hours at the scene, damping down the smouldering straw and attempting to discover how the blaze started.• As he attempted to dismount, he seemed to lose strength, and half fell to the ground.• Many studies have attempted to estimate the effect of advertising on sales, but few have established any relationship at all.• He did not attempt to find if the rest of the hibernation system was still in working order.• If you attempt to leave the car, I will kill you.• By what right did it attempt to speak for the parish?Origin attempt2 (1300-1400) Latin attemptare, from ad- “to” + temptare “to touch, try” 