attempt
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /əˈtɛmpt/
rhymes: -ɛmpt
Forms: form: attempts
form: attempting
form: attempted
form: attempted
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: attempt
form: attempt
form: attempted
form: attempt
form: attemptest
form: attempted
form: attemptedst
form: attempts
form: attempteth
form: attempted
form: attempt
form: attempted
form: attempt
form: attempted
form: attempt
form: -
form: attempting
form: attempted
Etymology: Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French atempter, from Latin attemptō (“I try, solicit”), from ad (“to”) + temptare, more correctly tentare (“to try”); see tempt.
The noun is from the 1530s, the sense "an assault on somebody's life, assassination attempt" (French attentat) is from 1580.
Senses: examples: text: to attempt an escape from prison
text: I attempted to sing, but my throat was too hoarse.
text: A group of 80 budding mountaineers attempted Kilimanjaro, but 30 of them didn’t make it to the top.
text: Something attempted, something done, / Has earned a night's repose.
ref: 1842, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Village Blacksmith:
text: Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.
ref: 2013 July-August, Sarah Glaz, “Ode to Prime Numbers”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
glosses: To try.
examples: text: 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.
ref: c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
text: It made the laughter of an afternoon / That Vivien should attempt the blameless king.
ref: 1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Vivien”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 102:
glosses: To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt.
examples: text: one who attempts the virtue of a woman
text: Dear sir, of force I must attempt you further: / Take some remembrance of us, as a tribute.
ref: c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
glosses: To try to win, subdue, or overcome.
examples: text: to attempt the enemy’s camp
text: without attempting his adversary’s life
ref: 1830, John Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic:
glosses: To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force.
examples: text: Whoever takes a direct and immediate step towards the realisation of the offence as envisaged by them attempts to commit an offence.
ref: 2021, “German Criminal Code”, in gesetze-im-internet.de:
qualifier: criminal law
glosses: To make a substantial but unsuccessful effort (to commit a crime).
Synonyms: take a stab at
take a run at
assay
essay
seek
Derived terms: apetempt
attemptability
attemptable
attempter
attemptive
reattempt
unattempting