Effort
Pronunciation
- RP IPA: /ˈɛfət/
- GenAm IPA: /ˈɛfɚt/
Origin
From Middle French effort, from Old French esfort, deverbal noun from esforcier ("to force, exert"), from Vulgar Latin *exfortiare, from Latin ex + fortis ("strong")
Full definition of effort
Noun
effort
(plural efforts)- The work involved in performing an activity; exertion.It took a lot of effort to find a decent-sized, fully-furnished apartment within walking distance of the office. He made a conscious effort to not appear affected by the stories in the paper.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 23, The slightest effort made the patient cough. He would stand leaning on a stick and holding a hand to his side, and when the paroxysm had passed it left him shaking.
- 2011, June 22, Press Association, Manchester United offer Park Ji-sung a new two-year contract, The 30-year-old South Korean, who joined United in 2005, retired from international duty after last season's Asian Cup in an effort to prolong his club
- 2013, Henry Petroski, Geothermal Energy, Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.
- An endeavour.Although he didn't win any medals, Johnson's effort at the Olympics won over many fans.
- 2012-03, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, The British Longitude Act Reconsidered, But was it responsible governance to pass the Longitude Act without other efforts to protect British seamen? Or might it have been subterfuge—a disingenuous attempt to shift attention away from the realities of their life at sea.
- A force acting on a body in the direction of its motion.
Usage notes
Adjectives often used with "effort": conscious, good, poor, etc.