Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use attempt in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun

Attempt means to try. Example: “I attempted to sing, but my throat was too hoarse.”

Examples of attempt by meaning

verbTo try.

  • to attempt an escape from prison
  • I attempted to sing, but my throat was too hoarse.
  • A group of 80 budding mountaineers attempted Kilimanjaro, but 30 of them didn’t make it to the top.

verbTo try to win, subdue, or overcome.

  • one who attempts the virtue of a woman

verbTo attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force.

  • to attempt the enemy’s camp

verbTo 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.2021, “German Criminal Code”, in gesetze-im-internet.de

nounThe action of trying at something.

  • We made an attempt to cross the stream, but didn’t manage.
  • This poem is much better than the feeble attempt of mine.
  • It was worth the attempt.

nounA 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.2021, “German Criminal Code”, in gesetze-im-internet.de

nounAn act of trying to commit suicide.

  • Her attempt was not successful, and resulted in her being hospitalized.

More sentences with attempt

  • After a failed connection attempt, the program sleeps for 5 seconds before trying again.From the entry sleep
  • The construction flaw is incorrigible; any attempt to amend it would cause a complete collapse.From the entry incorrigible
  • The government is attempting to keep a rein on rising prices.From the entry rein
  • I will attempt to make an alpha particle ("α-particle") with the Large Hadron Collider.From the entry alpha
  • His first letter was not a real offer, but an attempt to determine interest.From the entry offer
  • His third attempt to pass the entrance exam was a success.From the entry success
  • They sent four batteries southward in an attempt to shore up the defenses around the depot.From the entry battery
  • The application failed when attempting to dial the Postgres server, because there were too many open connections.From the entry dial
  • She knotted her brow in concentration while attempting to unravel the tangled strands.From the entry knot
  • Charlie's been talking up Robbie in an attempt to set him up with Lucy.From the entry talk up
  • The attempt to marry medieval plainsong with speed metal produced interesting results.From the entry marry
  • The unskilled man’s attempt at fixing his car engine was fruitless.From the entry fruitless
  • He argues against attempts to splice different genres or species of literature into a single composition.From the entry splice
  • We ate grass in an attempt to stave off our hunger.From the entry stave
  • The artist's latest stunt was obviously an attempt to whomp up some cheap publicity.From the entry whomp up
  • A base jumper attempts to freefall for as long as possible before triggering the parachute.From the entry freefall
  • He didn't get far with the attempt, but you have to admire his pluck.From the entry pluck
  • When attempting to settle a lawsuit, the parties generally communicate on a "without prejudice" basis.From the entry without prejudice
  • It's usually a simple task, but you should know the pitfalls before you attempt it yourself.From the entry pitfall
  • Tackle the different parts of the climb separately before attempting the whole thing in one go.From the entry separately
  • His attempt to make money by importing luxury cars backfired horribly when fuel prices tripled.From the entry backfire
  • My rushed attempt at an essay received a predictably poor grade.From the entry rushed
  • Although he failed, the prime minister made a bona fide attempt to repair the nation's damaged economy.From the entry bona fide
  • Academia continues to provide scientific education, despite attempts to turn it into a system of professional schooling.From the entry academia
  • His electoral "campaign" to date has included attempts to trump up criminal charges against his opponents.From the entry trump up
  • His unsuccessful attempt earned him sympathy, condolences, and an occasional good-natured ribbing.From the entry unsuccessful
  • I just read five attempts at episodic novels — has nobody heard of a plot anymore?From the entry episodic
  • She dragged out her old Spanish textbooks in an attempt to prepare for her trip.From the entry drag out
  • It was his first attempt at cooking, but I tried it and it was not half bad.From the entry not half bad

Meaning of attempt

  1. verb To try.
  2. verb To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt.
  3. verb To try to win, subdue, or overcome.

Full definition of attempt

Questions about attempt in a sentence

How do you use attempt in a sentence?
Attempt is used as a verb and noun. For example: “I attempted to sing, but my throat was too hoarse.”
What is a short sentence with attempt?
“It was worth the attempt.”
What does attempt mean?
Attempt means to try.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: attempt (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use attempt in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/attempt. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.