effort

ef·fort

E0050600 (ĕf′ərt)n.1. The use of physical or mental energy to do something; exertion.2. A difficult exertion of strength or will: It was an effort to get up.3. A usually earnest attempt: Make an effort to arrive promptly.4. Something done or produced through exertion; an achievement: a play that was his finest effort.5. Physics a. Force applied against inertia.b. The force needed by a machine to accomplish work on a load.

[Middle English, from Old French esfort, from esforcier, to force, exert, from Medieval Latin exfortiāre : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin fortis, strong; see bhergh- in Indo-European roots.]

ef′fort·ful adj.ef′fort·ful·ly adv.

effort

(ˈɛfət) n1. physical or mental exertion, usually considerable when unqualified: the rock was moved with effort. 2. a determined attempt: our effort to save him failed. 3. achievement; creation: a great literary effort. 4. (General Physics) physics an applied force acting against inertia[C15: from Old French esfort, from esforcier to force, ultimately from Latin fortis strong; see force¹]

ef•fort

(ˈɛf ərt)

n. 1. exertion of physical or mental power. 2. an earnest or strenuous attempt. 3. something done by exertion or hard work. 4. an achievement, as in literature or art: The painting is one of her finest efforts. 5. action undertaken by a group for a specified purpose: the war effort. 6. the force or energy that is applied to a machine for the accomplishment of useful work. [1480–90; < Middle French; Old French esfort, esforz, derivative of esforcier to force (es- ex-¹ + forcier to force)] syn: effort, application, endeavor, exertion imply energetic activity and expenditure of energy. effort is an expenditure of physical or mental energy to accomplish some objective: He made an effort to control himself. application is continuous effort plus careful attention and diligence: application to one's studies. endeavor means a continued and sustained series of efforts to achieve some end, often worthy and difficult: an endeavor to rescue survivors. exertion is vigorous action or effort, frequently without an end in view: out of breath from exertion.

effort

If you make an effort to do something, you try hard to do it.

Schmitt made one more effort to escape.Little effort has been made to investigate this claim.

Be Careful!
Don't say that someone 'does an effort'.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	effort - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"attempt, try, endeavor, endeavourbatting - (baseball) the batter's attempt to get on basebest - the supreme effort one can make; "they did their best"worst - the weakest effort or poorest achievement one is capable of; "it was the worst he had ever done on a test"activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity"bid, play - an attempt to get something; "they made a futile play for power"; "he made a bid to gain attention"fling, go, offer, whirl, crack, pass - a usually brief attempt; "he took a crack at it"; "I gave it a whirl"essay - a tentative attemptforay - an initial attempt (especially outside your usual areas of competence); "scientists' forays into politics"contribution, share, part - the part played by a person in bringing about a result; "I am proud of my contribution in advancing the project"; "they all did their share of the work"liberation - the attempt to achieve equal rights or status; "she worked for women's liberation"mug's game - a futile or unprofitable endeavorpower play, squeeze play, squeeze - an aggressive attempt to compel acquiescence by the concentration or manipulation of power; "she laughed at this sexual power play and walked away"seeking - an attempt to acquire or gain somethingstab, shot - informal words for any attempt or effort; "he gave it his best shot"; "he took a stab at forecasting"shot - an attempt to score in a gamenisus, pains, striving, strain - an effortful attempt to attain a goalstruggle, battle - an energetic attempt to achieve something; "getting through the crowd was a real struggle"; "he fought a battle for recognition"takeover attempt - an attempt to take control of a corporationtrial, run, test - the act of testing something; "in the experimental trials the amount of carbon was measured separately"; "he called each flip of the coin a new trial"trial, test - the act of undergoing testing; "he survived the great test of battle"; "candidates must compete in a trial of skill"
	2.	effort - use of physical or mental energy; hard work; "he got an A for effort"; "they managed only with great exertion"elbow grease, exertion, travail, sweattoil, labor, labour - productive work (especially physical work done for wages); "his labor did not require a great deal of skill"struggle - strenuous effort; "the struggle to get through the crowd exhausted her"difficulty, trouble - an effort that is inconvenient; "I went to a lot of trouble"; "he won without any trouble"; "had difficulty walking"; "finished the test only with great difficulty"least effort, least resistance - the least effortful way to do somethingstraining, strain - an intense or violent exertionexercise, exercising, physical exercise, physical exertion, workout - the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit; "the doctor recommended regular exercise"; "he did some exercising"; "the physical exertion required by his work kept him fit"pull - a sustained effort; "it was a long pull but we made it"diligence, application - a diligent effort; "it is a job requiring serious application"overkill - any effort that seems to go farther than would be necessary to achieve its goalsupererogation - an effort above and beyond the call of dutyoverexertion - excessive exertion; so much exertion that discomfort or injury resultsdetrition, friction, rubbing - effort expended in moving one object over another with pressure
	3.	effort - a notable achievement; "he performed a great feat"; "the book was her finest effort"exploit, feataccomplishment, achievement - the action of accomplishing somethingderring-do - brave and heroic featshit - (baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball); "he came all the way around on Williams' hit"rally, rallying - the feat of mustering strength for a renewed effort; "he singled to start a rally in the 9th inning"; "he feared the rallying of their troops for a counterattack"stunt - a difficult or unusual or dangerous feat; usually done to gain attentiontour de force - a masterly or brilliant feat
	4.	effort - a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort"crusade, campaign, cause, drive, movementventure - any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcomead blitz, ad campaign, advertising campaign - an organized program of advertisementsanti-war movement - a campaign against entering or continuing a warcharm campaign - a campaign of flattery and friendliness (by a company, politician, etc.) to become more popular and gain supportconsumerism - a movement advocating greater protection of the interests of consumerscampaigning, candidacy, candidature, electioneering, political campaign - the campaign of a candidate to be electedfund-raising campaign, fund-raising drive, fund-raising effort - a campaign to raise money for some causefeminist movement, women's lib, women's liberation movement, feminism - the movement aimed at equal rights for womengay lib, gay liberation movement - the movement aimed at liberating homosexuals from legal or social or economic oppressionlost cause - a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitablereform - a campaign aimed to correct abuses or malpractices; "the reforms he proposed were too radical for the politicians"war - a concerted campaign to end something that is injurious; "the war on poverty"; "the war against crime"youth crusade, youth movement - political or religious or social reform movement or agitation consisting chiefly of young people

effort

noun1. attempt, try, endeavour, shot (informal), bid, essay, go (informal), stab (informal) He made no effort to hide.2. exertion, work, labour, trouble, force, energy, struggle, stress, application, strain, striving, graft, toil, welly (slang), hard graft, travail (literary), elbow grease (facetious), blood, sweat, and tears (informal) A great deal of effort had been put into the planning.3. achievement, act, performance, product, job, production, creation, feat, deed, accomplishment, attainment The gallery is showcasing her latest efforts.Quotations
"Effort is only effort when it begins to hurt" [José Oretega y Gasset In Search of Goethe From Within, Letter to a German]
"Lovely it is, when the winds are churning up the waves on the great sea, to gaze out from the land on the great efforts of someone else" [Lucretius De Rerum Natura]
"Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well" [Lord Chesterfield Letters to His Son]
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" Bible: Ecclesiastes

effort

noun1. The use of energy to do something:endeavor, exertion, pain (used in plural), strain, striving, struggle, trouble, while.Informal: elbow grease.2. A difficult or tedious undertaking:chore, task.Informal: job.3. A trying to do or make something:attempt, crack, endeavor, essay, go, offer, stab, trial, try.Informal: shot.Slang: take.Archaic: assay.4. Something completed or attained successfully:accomplishment, achievement, acquirement, acquisition, attainment, feat.

Translations

努力努力的成果尽力艰难的尝试费力

effort

(ˈefət) noun1. hard work; energy. Learning a foreign language requires effort; The effort of climbing the hill made the old man very tired.努力2. a trying hard; a struggle. The government's efforts to improve the economy were unsuccessful; Please make every effort to be punctual. 艰难的尝试，尽力，费力 3. the result of an attempt. Your drawing was a good effort.努力的成果ˈeffortless adjective done without (apparent) effort. The dancer's movements looked effortless.不费力的ˈeffortlessly adverb不费力地

effort

→ 努力zhCN

effort

A for effort

A verbal acknowledgement of appreciation for attempting a task, even if it did not produce a successful result. You forgot to sand the wood before you painted it, but I'll give you an A for effort since you tried to help.See also: effort

an all-out effort

An attempt made with one's full attention and/or fortitude; one's best effort. To beat the best team in the league, we need to make an all-out effort tonight, boys. As soon as I got an academic warning, I started an all-out effort to improve my grades.See also: effort

last-ditch effort

A final effort or attempt to solve a problem or avoid failure or defeat, especially after a series of failures or setbacks. The home team is mounting one last-ditch effort in the final seconds of the game to try to force an overtime showdown. In a last-ditch effort to avoid a government shutdown, congress has pushed forward a new spending bill meant to plug the debt ceiling for another year.See also: effort

spare no effort to (do something)

To put the maximum amount of effort into something; to work as hard as possible to do something. Police have spared no effort in securing the area ahead of the event. We will spare no effort in bringing those responsible to justice.See also: effort, no, spare

bend (one's) mind

To consider, reflect upon, or think hard about something. If you would just bend your mind, I'm sure you could find a solution to the company's excess costs.See also: bend, mind

bend (one's) efforts

To put forth a great deal of effort toward some goal or end. I've been bending my efforts to find a way out of these legal problems, but, as of now, I'm still going to prison.See also: bend, effort

Herculean effort

A job, task, or activity that requires a huge amount of effort, energy, or physical strength. Sometimes used ironically or hyperbolically. But getting enough votes to pass the controversial legislation may prove to be a Herculean effort. Sometimes it feels like finding a good burger that isn't the price of a sirloin steak is a Herculean effort. It will be a Herculean effort for them to dethrone the former champions in this year's Super Bowl, but they certainly have a shot.See also: effort

make an effort (to do something)

To put forth a moderate effort (to do, achieve, or accomplish something). I'll make an effort, but I can't guarantee that I'll be home before the party starts. I'm trying to make an effort to keep in touch with my family more often. I'm not expecting anything extravagant from her for our anniversary, but it would be nice if she made an effort.See also: effort, make

make every effort (to do something)

To put forth the greatest possible effort (to do, achieve, or accomplish something). I'll make every effort, but I can't guarantee that I'll be home before the party starts. We've made every effort to ensure the transition process is as seamless as possible for you and your team.See also: effort, every, make

* A for effort

Fig. acknowledgement for having tried to do something, even if it was not successful. (*Typically: get ~; give someone ~.) The plan didn't work, but I'll give you an A for effort for trying.See also: effort

*an all-out effort

a very good and thorough effort. (*Typically: begin ~; have ~; make ~; start ~.) We need to make an all-out effort to get this job done on time. The government began an all-out effort to reduce the federal budget.See also: effort

*last-ditch effort

Fig. a final effort; the last possible attempt. (*Typically: be ~; have ~; make ~.) I made one last-ditch effort to get her to stay. It was a last-ditch effort. I didn't expect it to work.See also: effort

make every effort to do something

to try very hard to accomplish something. I will make every effort to be there on time.See also: effort, every, make

all out

With all one's strength, ability, or resources; not holding back. For example, They are going all out to make the fund-raiser a success. This seemingly modern term dates from about 1300, when it meant "completely" or "wholly." It now refers to making a great effort and is also used adjectivally, as in an all-out effort. This usage became current in America in the late 1800s, with reference to races and other kinds of athletic exertion. In the mid-1900s it gave rise to the phrase to go all out and was transferred to just about any energetic undertaking. Also see go whole hog. See also: all, out

last-ditch effort

A desperate final attempt, as in We're making a last-ditch effort to finish on time. This expression alludes to the military sense of last ditch, "the last line of defense." Its figurative use dates from the early 1800s. See also: effort

all out

using all your strength or resources.See also: all, out

bend your ˈmind/ˈefforts to something

(formal) think very hard about or put a lot of effort into one particular thingSee also: bend, effort, mind, something

a ˌlast-ditch ˈstand/atˈtempt/ˈeffort

a final attempt to avoid defeat: They are making a last-ditch stand to save the company. ♢ This is a last-ditch attempt to stop the strike. Ditch in this idiom refers to a long channel built to defend an area against attack.See also: attempt, effort, stand

all out

With all one's strength, ability, or resources.See also: all, out

last-ditch defense/effort

A desperate final measure. In military terminology of the seventeenth century the “last ditch” was the ultimate line of defense. By the eighteenth century the term was being used figuratively, as in Thomas Jefferson’s description, “A government driven to the last ditch by the universal call for liberty.” See also: defense, effort

effort

ef·fort

effort

ef•fort

effort

effort

effort

effort

effort

effort

A for effort

an all-out effort

last-ditch effort

spare no effort to (do something)

bend (one's) mind

bend (one's) efforts

Herculean effort

make an effort (to do something)

make every effort (to do something)

* A for effort

*an all-out effort

*last-ditch effort

make every effort to do something

all out

last-ditch effort

all out

bend your ˈmind/ˈefforts to something

a ˌlast-ditch ˈstand/atˈtempt/ˈeffort

all out

last-ditch defense/effort

effort

effort

effort

ef·fort

effort

effort

Synonyms for effort

noun attempt

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noun exertion

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noun achievement

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Synonyms for effort

noun the use of energy to do something

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noun a difficult or tedious undertaking

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noun a trying to do or make something

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noun something completed or attained successfully

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Synonyms for effort

noun earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

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Related Words

noun use of physical or mental energy

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noun a notable achievement

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noun a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end

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