| effort | | |
| n. (act) | 1. attempt, effort, endeavor, endeavour, try | earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something.; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try" |
| ~ batting | (baseball) the batter's attempt to get on base. |
| ~ best | the supreme effort one can make.; "they did their best" |
| ~ worst | the weakest effort or poorest achievement one is capable of.; "it was the worst he had ever done on a test" |
| ~ activity | any specific behavior.; "they avoided all recreational activity" |
| ~ bid, play | an attempt to get something.; "they made a futile play for power"; "he made a bid to gain attention" |
| ~ fling, go, offer, whirl, crack, pass | a usually brief attempt.; "he took a crack at it"; "I gave it a whirl" |
| ~ essay | a tentative attempt. |
| ~ foray | an initial attempt (especially outside your usual areas of competence).; "scientists' forays into politics" |
| ~ contribution, share, part | the part played by a person in bringing about a result.; "I am proud of my contribution in advancing the project"; "they all did their share of the work" |
| ~ liberation | the attempt to achieve equal rights or status.; "she worked for women's liberation" |
| ~ mug's game | a futile or unprofitable endeavor. |
| ~ power play, squeeze play, squeeze | an aggressive attempt to compel acquiescence by the concentration or manipulation of power.; "she laughed at this sexual power play and walked away" |
| ~ seeking | an attempt to acquire or gain something. |
| ~ stab, shot | informal words for any attempt or effort.; "he gave it his best shot"; "he took a stab at forecasting" |
| ~ shot | an attempt to score in a game. |
| ~ nisus, pains, striving, strain | an effortful attempt to attain a goal. |
| ~ struggle, battle | an energetic attempt to achieve something.; "getting through the crowd was a real struggle"; "he fought a battle for recognition" |
| ~ takeover attempt | an attempt to take control of a corporation. |
| ~ trial, run, test | the act of testing something.; "in the experimental trials the amount of carbon was measured separately"; "he called each flip of the coin a new trial" |
| ~ trial, test | the act of undergoing testing.; "he survived the great test of battle"; "candidates must compete in a trial of skill" |
| n. (act) | 2. effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat, travail | use of physical or mental energy; hard work.; "he got an A for effort"; "they managed only with great exertion" |
| ~ toil, labor, labour | productive work (especially physical work done for wages).; "his labor did not require a great deal of skill" |
| ~ struggle | strenuous effort.; "the struggle to get through the crowd exhausted her" |
| ~ difficulty, trouble | an effort that is inconvenient.; "I went to a lot of trouble"; "he won without any trouble"; "had difficulty walking"; "finished the test only with great difficulty" |
| ~ least effort, least resistance | the least effortful way to do something. |
| ~ straining, strain | an intense or violent exertion. |
| ~ exercise, exercising, physical exercise, physical exertion, workout | the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit.; "the doctor recommended regular exercise"; "he did some exercising"; "the physical exertion required by his work kept him fit" |
| ~ pull | a sustained effort.; "it was a long pull but we made it" |
| ~ diligence, application | a diligent effort.; "it is a job requiring serious application" |
| ~ overkill | any effort that seems to go farther than would be necessary to achieve its goal. |
| ~ supererogation | an effort above and beyond the call of duty. |
| ~ overexertion | excessive exertion; so much exertion that discomfort or injury results. |
| ~ detrition, friction, rubbing | effort expended in moving one object over another with pressure. |
| n. (act) | 3. effort, exploit, feat | a notable achievement.; "he performed a great feat"; "the book was her finest effort" |
| ~ accomplishment, achievement | the action of accomplishing something. |
| ~ derring-do | brave and heroic feats. |
| ~ hit | (baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball).; "he came all the way around on Williams' hit" |
| ~ rally, rallying | the feat of mustering strength for a renewed effort.; "he singled to start a rally in the 9th inning"; "he feared the rallying of their troops for a counterattack" |
| ~ stunt | a difficult or unusual or dangerous feat; usually done to gain attention. |
| ~ tour de force | a masterly or brilliant feat. |
| n. (act) | 4. campaign, cause, crusade, drive, effort, movement | a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end.; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort" |
| ~ venture | any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome. |
| ~ ad blitz, ad campaign, advertising campaign | an organized program of advertisements. |
| ~ anti-war movement | a campaign against entering or continuing a war. |
| ~ charm campaign | a campaign of flattery and friendliness (by a company, politician, etc.) to become more popular and gain support. |
| ~ consumerism | a movement advocating greater protection of the interests of consumers. |
| ~ campaigning, candidacy, candidature, electioneering, political campaign | the campaign of a candidate to be elected. |
| ~ fund-raising campaign, fund-raising drive, fund-raising effort | a campaign to raise money for some cause. |
| ~ feminist movement, women's lib, women's liberation movement, feminism | the movement aimed at equal rights for women. |
| ~ gay lib, gay liberation movement | the movement aimed at liberating homosexuals from legal or social or economic oppression. |
| ~ lost cause | a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitable. |
| ~ reform | a campaign aimed to correct abuses or malpractices.; "the reforms he proposed were too radical for the politicians" |
| ~ war | a concerted campaign to end something that is injurious.; "the war on poverty"; "the war against crime" |
| ~ youth crusade, youth movement | political or religious or social reform movement or agitation consisting chiefly of young people. |
| strive | | |
| v. (social) | 1. endeavor, endeavour, strive | attempt by employing effort.; "we endeavor to make our customers happy" |
| ~ struggle | to exert strenuous effort against opposition.; "he struggled to get free from the rope" |
| ~ attempt, essay, try, assay, seek | make an effort or attempt.; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world" |
| ~ be at pains, take pains | try very hard to do something. |
| ~ buck | to strive with determination.; "John is bucking for a promotion" |
| v. (competition) | 2. reach, strain, strive | to exert much effort or energy.; "straining our ears to hear" |
| ~ extend oneself | strain to the utmost. |
| ~ kill oneself, overexert oneself | strain oneself more than is healthy. |
| ~ labor, labour, tug, push, drive | strive and make an effort to reach a goal.; "She tugged for years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral thesis" |
| ~ bother, inconvenience oneself, trouble oneself, trouble | take the trouble to do something; concern oneself.; "He did not trouble to call his mother on her birthday"; "Don't bother, please" |
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