effort

effort

ef·fort [effort efforts]   [ˈefət]    [ˈefərt]  noun
1. uncountable, countable the physical or mental energy that you need to do sth; sth that takes a lot of energy
• You should put more effort into your work.
• A lot of effort has gone into making this event a success.
• The company has invested a great deal of time and effort in setting up new training schemes.
• It's a long climb to the top, but well worth the effort.
• Getting up this morning was quite an effort (= it was difficult).

• (BrE) With (an) effort (= with difficulty) she managed to stop herself laughing.

2. countable an attempt to do sth especially when it is difficult to do
• a determined/real/special effort
• to make an effort
• I didn't really feel like going out, but I am glad I made the effort.
• ~ (to do sth) The company has laid off 150 workers in an effort to save money.
• The local clubs are making every effort to interest more young people.
• We need to make a concerted effort to finish on time.
• I spent hours cleaning the house, but there isn't much to show for all my efforts.
• With an effort of will he resisted the temptation.

• The project was a joint/group effort.

3. countable (usually after a noun) a particular activity that a group of people organize in order to achieve sth
• the Russian space effort

• the United Nations' peacekeeping effort

4. countable the result of an attempt to do sth
• I'm afraid this essay is a poor effort.
see bend your mind/efforts to sth at  bend  v.  
Word Origin:
late 15th cent.: from French, from Old French esforcier, based on Latin ex- ‘out’ + fortis ‘strong’.  
Thesaurus:
effort noun
1. U, C
• The long climb to the top is well worth the effort.
hard work • • struggle • • energy/energies • • exertion/exertions • |BrE, formal endeavour • |AmE, formal endeavor •
(a) great effort/struggle/exertion/endeavour
need effort/hard work/your energies/exertion
put effort/hard work/your energies into sth
Effort or exertion? Effort is used about the work people do to achieve sth; exertion refers to the energy used to carry out an activity
• A lot of effort has gone into achieving this result.
• She was sweating from the exertion of housework.
2. C
• I'll make a special effort to finish on time.
attempt • • try • |BrE go • |informal shot • • stab •
an effort/attempt to do sth
a first/last/good effort/attempt/try/go/shot/stab
make a/an effort/attempt/stab
Effort or attempt? Effort emphasizes the work that sb puts into doing sth; attempt emphasizes the event or action involved in trying to do sth:
• a great/enormous/strenuous effort
 ¤ a great/enormous/strenuous attempt:
• a coup/suicide attempt
 ¤ a coup/suicide effort  
Example Bank:
• All the team members have put in a great deal of effort.
• Critics said the plan would undermine efforts to address the current crisis.
• Despite our best efforts, we didn't manage to win the game.
• Diplomatic efforts to end the crisis failed.
• Districts have not made a good-faith effort to implement public school choice.
• Governments are pooling their efforts to stem international terrorism.
• He failed in his efforts to give up smoking.
• He spearheaded efforts to raise money for the school.
• Her efforts earned her a Nobel Prize.
• Her efforts were rewarded when she won an Oscar.
• I can see you have made a big effort to clean up.
• I have to make a conscious effort to be polite so early in the morning.
• I make sporadic efforts to sort out my files.
• It takes constant effort to become fluent in a language.
• It took a whole day of hard effort to knock down the wall.
• No effort has been spared to make this hotel a welcoming, comfortable place.
• Second prize was a fair reward for his efforts.
• Senior leaders are investing time and effort in studying the issue.
• She made a feeble effort to smile, then started crying again.
• Students, teachers and families got together in a team effort to decorate the school.
• The Democratic get-out-the-vote effort placed heavy emphasis on the youth vote.
• The UN General Secretary flew in in a last-ditch effort to save the talks.
• The club has changed the rules in an effort to make them fairer.
• The gallery owner applauded the efforts of firefighters to save the exhibits.
• The museum relies on the voluntary efforts of enthusiasts.
• The police channelled their efforts into searching around the river.
• The police have renewed their efforts to find the murderer.
• The police tried to channel their efforts into searching the forest.
• The report outlines the efforts undertaken by the industry.
• The walk is difficult but well worth the effort.
• The wound resisted all my efforts to stop it bleeding.
• They launched an AIDS education effort.
• This can be done quickly and with very little effort.
• Through their efforts, enough money was raised to buy the equipment.
• We all appreciate your efforts.
• We are making every effort to obtain the release of the hostages.
• We tried to ensure that efforts were not duplicated.
• We're targeting our efforts at making our website appealing to younger people.
• a grass-roots effort by workers to transform their country
• an outfit which enables you to look good with minimal effort
• educational efforts targeted at children from ethnic minorities
• pioneering efforts to restructure the industry
• the amount of effort required
• the continuing effort to find the missing girls
• their frantic efforts to put out the fire
• Getting up this morning was quite an effort.
• I didn't really feel like going out, but I'm glad I made the effort.
• I spent hours cleaning the house but there isn't much to show for all my efforts.
• I'll make a special effort to finish on time this week.
• It's a long climb to the top, but well worth the effort.
• They met once more in an attempt/effort to find a solution.

• a great/enormous/strenuous effort