effort and expending energy

ef‧fort S1 W1 /ˈefət $ ˈefərt/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: effort; adverb: effortlessly; adjective: effortless]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: esfort, from esforcier 'to force']
1. PHYSICAL/MENTAL ENERGY [uncountable] the physical or mental energy that is needed to do something:
Lou lifted the box easily, without using much effort.
Frank put a lot of effort into the party.
Learning to speak another language takes effort.
2. ATTEMPT [uncountable and countable] an attempt to do something, especially when this involves a lot of hard work or determination:
Please make an effort to be polite.
sb’s effort(s) to do something
Tom’s efforts to stop smoking haven’t been very successful.
Church leaders are prepared to meet the terrorists in an effort to (=in order to try to) find peace.
effort at
Further efforts at negotiation have broken down.
through sb’s efforts (=because of their efforts)
The money was raised largely through the efforts of parents.
despite sb’s efforts
Despite all our efforts we lost the game 1–0.
3. be an effort to be difficult or painful to do:
I was so weak that even standing up was an effort.
4. PARTICULAR SITUATION [countable] work that people do to achieve something in a particular situation:
the fundraising effort
the international relief effort
Everyone did what they could to support the war effort.
5. good/bad/poor etc effort something that has been done well, badly etc:
Not a bad effort for a beginner!
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ verbs
▪ make an effort (=try) She made an effort to change the subject of the conversation.
▪ put effort into (doing) something (=try hard to do something) Let’s try again, only put more effort into it this time.
▪ take the effort out of something (=make it easy) An automatic car takes the effort out of driving.
▪ something takes effort (also it takes effort to do something) (=you have to try hard) It takes a sustained effort to quit smoking.
▪ something requires/involves effort formal (=it takes effort) Trying to get my mother to change her mind requires considerable effort.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + effort
▪ successful Their efforts were successful, and they won the contract.
▪ unsuccessful Efforts to save the hospital from closure have been unsuccessful.
▪ futile (=having no chance of succeeding, and therefore not worth doing) Doctors knew that any effort to save his life would be futile.
▪ a big/great effort The government has made a big effort to tackle the problem of poverty.
▪ considerable effort (=a lot of effort) The police put considerable effort into finding his car.
▪ a supreme/tremendous effort (=a very big effort) It was only with a supreme effort that Roger controlled his temper.
▪ a special effort (=one that you do not normally make) I made a special effort to be nice to the children.
▪ a constant effort (=one that never stops) Walking was a constant effort.
▪ a sustained effort (=one that you continue making for a long time) It will take a sustained effort over the next 5 years to achieve our objectives.
▪ a conscious/deliberate effort (=one that you concentrate on in order to achieve something) He made a conscious effort to become a better person.
▪ a determined effort (=showing a lot of determination) She had made a determined effort to lose weight.
▪ a desperate effort (=one you make when you are in a very bad situation) The fox made a desperate effort to get away.
▪ a concerted effort (=involving a lot of different actions, or a lot of people working together) It will take a concerted effort to change the culture of binge-drinking in the country.
▪ a joint/team effort (=involving a group or team of people) We had many fine individual performances, but the win was a real team effort.
▪ a collaborative/cooperative effort formal (=with different people or groups working together) This was a collaborative effort involving the three largest energy companies.
▪ physical/mental effort He struggled back from two sets down to win the match, showing great physical and mental effort.
▪ a final/last-ditch effort (=a last effort, when you want very much to achieve something) Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself for one final effort.
■ phrases
▪ make the effort (=do something that requires some effort) I felt too tired to go to a party, but decided to make the effort.
▪ make every effort to do something (=try very hard) I made every effort to see their point of view.
▪ make no effort to do something (=not try at all) They make no effort to speak the local language.
▪ be (well) worth the effort (=used to say that something is worth doing even though it is hard) It’s a difficult place to get to, but it's well worth the effort.
▪ an effort of will (=a big effort to do something that you find difficult because of the way you feel) It took a huge effort of will not to cry.
▪ with effort formal (=trying very hard) With great effort, he managed to keep quiet.
▪ without effort (=easily, without trying hard) Her horse jumped the fence without any effort.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 4)
■ NOUN + effort
▪ a relief effort The UN is organizing the relief effort to the region affected by the earthquake.
▪ a fund-raising effort The party is planning a huge fund-raising effort later this year.
▪ the war effort Taxes were raised to support the war effort.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

effort / ˈef.ət / / -ɚt / noun

B1 [ C or U ] physical or mental activity needed to achieve something:

[ + to infinitive ] If we could all make an effort to keep this office tidier it would help.

You can't expect to have any friends if you don't make any effort with people.

In their efforts to reduce crime the government expanded the police force.

He's jogging round the park every morning in an effort to get fit for the football season.

It takes a long time to prepare the dish but the results are so good that it's worth the effort.

[ C ] the result of an attempt to produce something, especially when its quality is low or uncertain:

Do you want to have a look at his exam paper? It's a fairly poor effort.

be an effort C2 to be difficult, tiring, or boring to do:

I'm exhausted all the time, and everything is a real effort.

Word partners for effort

make an effort • demand / require / take effort • a considerable / great / tremendous effort • a concerted / determined / valiant effort • a conscious / deliberate effort • a joint / team effort • in an effort to do sth • with / without effort

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

effort

[e̱fə(r)t]
♦
efforts
1) N-VAR: oft N to-inf If you make an effort to do something, you try very hard to do it.
  He made no effort to hide his disappointment...
  Finding a cure requires considerable time and effort...
  His efforts to reform and revitalise Italian research have won wide praise...
  Despite the efforts of the United Nations, the problem of drug abuse and drug traffic continues to grow...
  But a concerted effort has begun to improve the quality of the urban air.
2) N-UNCOUNT: usu with N, also a N If you say that someone did something with effort or with an effort, you mean it was difficult for them to do. [WRITTEN]
  She took a deep breath and sat up slowly and with great effort...
  With an effort she contained her irritation.
  Syn:
  difficulty
  Ant:
  ease
3) N-COUNT: usu supp N An effort is a particular series of activities that is organized by a group of people in order to achieve something.
  ...a famine relief effort in Angola.
4) N-SING: a N If you say that something is an effort, you mean that an unusual amount of physical or mental energy is needed to do it.
  Even carrying the camcorder while hiking in the forest was an effort.
  Syn:
  strain, struggle
5) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to-inf If you make the effort to do something, you do it, even though you need extra energy to do it or you do not really want to.
  I don't get lonely now because I make the effort to see people.
6) PHRASE If you do something difficult or painful by an effort of will, you manage to make yourself do it.
  It was only by a supreme effort of will and courage that he was able to pull himself together.
7) PHRASE: v-link PHR If you say that something is worth the effort, you mean that it will justify the energy that you have spent or will spend on it.
  Fortunately, the chore of leaf sweeping is well worth the effort.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

effort

ef·fort /ˈɛfɚt/ noun, pl -forts
1 : work done by the mind or body : energy used to do something

[noncount]

• He put a lot of effort into finishing the project on time.
• It wasn't easy, but it was worth the effort.
• We need to expend more/extra effort.
• The job will require/take a great deal of time and effort.
• a lack of effort
• She seems to do everything without effort. [=effortlessly; very easily]

[count]

• Our success is due to the combined/concerted efforts of many people.
• Her efforts were rewarded with a new contract.
• He lost the campaign despite the best efforts of his supporters.
✦If you get an A for effort or an E for effort or (Brit) full marks for effort, you are given credit for working hard to do something, even though the result of the work was not successful.
• His novel's surprise ending is not really convincing, but we'll give him an A for effort.
2 [count] : a serious attempt to do something
• Even though they didn't win, the team made a good/valiant effort.
• a determined/desperate effort
• a last-ditch effort
• Her early efforts at writing a novel were awkward.
• The project is a team effort. [=is being done by a group of people]
• Despite my best efforts, I never found out who she was.
- often followed by to + verb
• He made no effort to hide his feelings. [=he showed his feelings openly]
• In an effort to avoid further delays, the delivery process has been simplified.
• I had to make a conscious/deliberate effort not to laugh.
• The school makes every effort [=the school does all that it can] to help new students become adjusted to college life.
3 [count] : something produced by work
• This painting was one of my best efforts.
• It wasn't bad for a first effort.
4 [singular] : something that is hard to do
• I was so tired this morning that it was an effort (for me) to get out of bed.
5 [noncount] : all that is being done to achieve a particular goal
• He wanted to contribute in some way to the war effort. [=to the effort to win the war]