effort

noun

UK /ˈefə(r)t/

Word Forms

singular	effort
plural	efforts

1
countable/uncountable an attempt to do something that is difficult or that involves hard work
an effort to do something:
The restructuring was part of an effort to boost company profits.
in an effort to do something:
Detectives are talking to other witnesses in an effort to corroborate her confession.
make an effort to do something:
I’ve made an effort to drink less tea and coffee.
make little/no effort:
The drivers made no efforts to check their vehicles.
an effort of will/imagination/memory:
She was trembling violently, but with a determined effort of will she stopped.
despite someone’s efforts:
The man died despite the doctors’ efforts to revive him.
a concerted/joint effort (=made together):
a concerted effort by the nations of the world to protect our environment
Synonyms and related words
An attempt to do something
attempt
effort
struggle
Collocates
Adjectives frequently used with effort
▪ big, brave, combined, concerted, determined, feeble, great, individual, joint, last-ditch, massive, solo, sustained, team, vain, valiant, wasted
2
singular/uncountable physical or mental energy needed to do something
The aim is to obtain maximum reward for minimum effort.
physical/mental effort:
The sheer physical effort of shopping is a burden to most of us.
take/require effort:
Writing a book requires a lot of time and effort.
put effort into something:
Mary put a lot of effort into this project.
with an effort:
Nathan controlled his temper with an effort.
Synonyms and related words
Hard work and effort
heavy lifting
ask
work
3
countable the activities of people who are working together to achieve a particular aim
international relief efforts
Synonyms and related words
Hard work and effort
heavy lifting
ask
work
4
countable informalsomething that someone produces or creates, often something of poor quality
His first effort in 1991 was a collection of short stories.
As smiles went it was a poor effort.
Synonyms and related words
General words for objects
thing
object
article
5
countable mainly journalisman attempt to score a goal in football
Synonyms and related words
Scoring points and goals
a clean sheet
aggregate
all
6
singular/uncountable physicsthe force used on a machine of any type in order to make it able to move an object
Synonyms and related words
Physical forces and processes
absorbance
air resistance
amplitude

phrases

be an effort

make the/an effort (to do something)

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effort

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