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effort
/ˈɛf.ɚt/
attempt or exertion
She made a great effort to finish her project on time.
She tried very hard to complete her work before the deadline.
general
Physical or mental exertion applied to achieve a goal
Winning the race required a lot of effort.
He had to work very hard to win the competition.
Can refer to both physical and mental work.
general
A deliberate attempt to accomplish something
His effort to learn a new language impressed everyone.
People were amazed by how hard he worked to study a foreign language.
Often used to describe intentional actions.
Collocations
make an efforttry hard to do somethingput in effortwork hard on a taskgreat efforta lot of hard work
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Positive and Negative Connotations
Effort can be praised ('good effort') or criticized ('not enough effort'). Context determines the tone.
Gold Rule
Countable and Uncountable
Effort can be both countable ('many efforts') and uncountable ('a lot of effort').
Word Origin
From Middle French 'esfort', from Old French 'esfort' (strength, force), from Latin 'exfortis' (strong, vigorous)
Usage Notes
Often used in contexts where persistence or hard work is involved. Can be both positive (praise for effort) or negative (criticism for lack of effort).
Word Breakdown
ex-
out
prefix-fort
strength
rootEnglish Dictionary