noun
effort
EHF-uht
noun
1
Physical or mental energy put into doing something.
"It took a lot of effort to finish the marathon."
"She put real effort into learning the new software."
2
An attempt to achieve something; an endeavor.
"The rescue effort continued through the night."
How to Use Effort
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe work or energy you put into trying to do something.
Common pairings
make an effort
joint effort
a valiant effort
Word Forms
efforted past tense, efforts plural, efforts singular
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Etymology
From Old French esfort, related to esforcier ("to exert oneself"), ultimately from Latin fortis, "strong" — the same root that gives us "force" and "fortify."