attempting

noun

The action of trying at something.

An assault or attack, especially an assassination attempt.

(criminal law) A substantial but unsuccessful effort (to commit a crime).

An act of trying to commit suicide

verb

To try.

(criminal law) To make a substantial but unsuccessful effort (to commit a crime).

(archaic) To try to win, subdue, or overcome.

(archaic) To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force.

(obsolete) To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt.

Roots

temptotempt- · Latin · test, try

Synonyms & related words for attempting

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Words related to attempting

Explore words related to attempting — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include try, attempts, attempted, attemptable, effort, endeavor, unattempted, reattempt. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does attempting come from?

The word attempting breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root tempt-, from Latin tempto (“test, try”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.