effort

 
Pronunciation: /ˈɛfət/

noun

  • 1a vigorous or determined attempt: in an effort to reduce inflation, the government increased interest rates
  • the result of an attempt: he was a keen gardener, winning many prizes for his efforts
  • [mass noun] strenuous physical or mental exertion: achieving independence requires some effort and self-discipline
  • [with modifier] the activities of a group of people with a common purpose: the war effort
  • 2 technical a force exerted by a machine or in a process.

Phrases

make an effort

attempt to do something: make an effort to do some kind of abdominal exercise

make every (or spare no)effort

try everything possible to achieve something: the doctor spared no effort in helping my father

with effort

with physical difficulty: ‘It’s bad, sir’, he said, controlling his voice with effort

Derivatives

effortful

adjective

effortfully

adverb

Origin:

late 15th century: from French, from Old French esforcier, based on Latin ex- 'out' + fortis 'strong'