endeavour
/ɪnˈdɛvə
/ /ɛnˈdɛvə/(US endeavor)
verb [no object, with infinitive]
Try hard to do or achieve something: he is endeavouring to help the Third World...
- From a strategic viewpoint, the principal need was to understand precisely what each public sector organization was endeavouring to achieve.
- While the Council has endeavoured to achieve consistency between cases, it would be prepared to make an exception if the occasion required this.
- That is a frustration for us, when obviously we are endeavouring to see whether resolution is achievable.
Synonyms
try, attempt, venture, undertake, aspire, aim, seek, set out;
strive, struggle, labour, toil, work hard, try hard, exert oneself, apply oneself, do one's best, do one's utmost, give one's all, be at pains;
work at, try one's hand at
informal slog away, give something a whirl, have a go at, have a shot at, have a stab at, give something one's best shot, do one's damnedest, go all out, bend over backwards, break one's neck, bust a gut, move heaven and earth
formal essay
noun
1An attempt to achieve a goal: [with infinitive]: an endeavour to reduce serious injury...
- Among my own more active endeavours was an attempt to hire a man to help with fetching water and doing laundry, both considered women's work.
- Local administrators have undertaken to revitalise the sport and have brought to the Silver City a group of players and development personnel in an endeavor to achieve this.
- The team maintained the pressure and Gore was rewarded for his endeavour with a goal to seal the win from close range.
Synonyms
attempt, try, bid, effort, trial, venture
informal go, crack, shot, stab, bash, whack, whirl
1.1 [mass noun] Earnest, prolonged, and industrious effort: enthusiasm is a vital ingredient in all human endeavour...
- Over 38 games application, effort, endeavour, commitment and preparation go a long way and we have them in abundance.
- The Sunday Schools sprang from the same era of earnest endeavour, as did the widespread drive to establish Friendly Societies supervised by the clergy.
- The basic requirement for each participant is measured by hours of endeavour and effort with no student having an advantage over another in earning the award.
Synonyms
striving, struggling, labouring, struggle, labour, hard work, hard slog, effort, exertion, application, industry;
pains
informal sweat, {blood, sweat, and tears}, elbow grease
British informal graft
Australian/New Zealand informal (hard) yakka
archaic travail, moil
1.2An enterprise or undertaking: a portfolio of business endeavours...
- What political endeavors should be undertaken or supported?
- The project is a five-year endeavor undertaken as a partnership between IBM and National Geographic.
- It's the first time in almost 20 years such an endeavour has been undertaken.
Synonyms
undertaking, enterprise, venture, pursuit, exercise, activity, exploit, deed, act, action, move;
scheme, plan, project
informal caper
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'exert oneself'): from the phrase put oneself in devoir 'do one's utmost' (see devoir).