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effort verbs make an effort (= try ) • She made an effort to change the subject of the conversation. put effort into (doing) something (= try hard to do something ) • Let’s try again, only put more effort into it this time. take the effort out of something (= make it easy ) • An automatic car takes the effort out of driving. something takes effort ( also it takes effort to do something ) (= you have to try hard ) • It takes a sustained effort to quit smoking. something requires/involves effort formal (= it takes effort ) • Trying to get my mother to change her mind requires considerable effort. ADJECTIVES/NOUN + effort successful • Their efforts were successful, and they won the contract. unsuccessful • Efforts to save the hospital from closure have been unsuccessful. futile (= having no chance of succeeding, and therefore not worth doing ) • Doctors knew that any effort to save his life would be futile. a big/great effort • The government has made a big effort to tackle the problem of poverty. considerable effort (= a lot of effort ) • The police put considerable effort into finding his car. a supreme/tremendous effort (= a very big effort ) • It was only with a supreme effort that Roger controlled his temper. a special effort (= one that you do not normally make ) • I made a special effort to be nice to the children. a constant effort (= one that never stops ) • Walking was a constant effort. a sustained effort (= one that you continue making for a long time ) • It will take a sustained effort over the next 5 years to achieve our objectives. a conscious/deliberate effort (= one that you concentrate on in order to achieve something ) • He made a conscious effort to become a better person. a determined effort (= showing a lot of determination ) • She had made a determined effort to lose weight. a desperate effort (= one you make when you are in a very bad situation ) • The fox made a desperate effort to get away. a concerted effort (= involving a lot of different actions, or a lot of people working together ) • It will take a concerted effort to change the culture of binge-drinking in the country. a joint/team effort (= involving a group or team of people ) • We had many fine individual performances, but the win was a real team effort. a collaborative/cooperative effort formal (= with different people or groups working together ) • This was a collaborative effort involving the three largest energy companies. physical/mental effort • He struggled back from two sets down to win the match, showing great physical and mental effort. a final/last-ditch effort (= a last effort, when you want very much to achieve something ) • Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself for one final effort. phrases make the effort (= do something that requires some effort ) • I felt too tired to go to a party, but decided to make the effort. make every effort to do something (= try very hard ) • I made every effort to see their point of view. make no effort to do something (= not try at all ) • They make no effort to speak the local language. be (well) worth the effort (= used to say that something is worth doing even though it is hard ) • It’s a difficult place to get to, but it's well worth the effort. with effort formal (= trying very hard ) • With great effort, he managed to keep quiet. without effort (= easily, without trying hard ) • Her horse jumped the fence without any effort. effort 2 NOUN + effort a relief effort • The UN is organizing the relief effort to the region affected by the earthquake. a fund-raising effort • The party is planning a huge fund-raising effort later this year. the war effort • Taxes were raised to support the war effort.
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noun physical/mental energy needed to do sth ADJ. considerable | hard It took a whole day of hard effort to knock down the wall. | constant, sustained | extra | physical | intellectual, mental QUANT. amount the amount of effort required VERB + EFFORT demand, need, require, take It takes constant effort to become fluent in a language. | devote, expend, put in All the team members have put in a great deal of effort. | spare no No effort has been spared to make this hotel a welcoming, comfortable place. | be (well) worth The walk is difficult but well worth the effort. EFFORT + VERB go into A lot of effort went into making the costumes. PREP. with/without ~ This can be done quickly and with very little effort. PHRASES a great deal of effort attempt to do sth ADJ. all-out, big, brave, determined, enormous, great, herculean, heroic, huge, major, remarkable, special, strenuous, superhuman, tremendous, valiant I can see you have made a big effort to clean up. | desperate, frantic their frantic efforts to put out the fire | final, last, last-ditch The UN General Secretary flew in in a last-ditch effort to save the talks. | genuine, positive, real, serious | feeble She made a feeble effort to smile, then started crying again. | sporadic I make sporadic efforts to sort out my files. | successful | fruitless, futile, unsuccessful | collaborative, collective, concerted, cooperative, joint, team Students, teachers and families got together in a team effort to decorate the school. | conscious, deliberate I have to make a conscious effort to be polite so early in the morning. | voluntary The museum relies on the voluntary efforts of enthusiasts. | fund-raising VERB + EFFORT make | increase, intensify, redouble, renew, step up The police have renewed their efforts to find the murderer. | channel, concentrate, focus The police channelled their efforts into searching around the river. | fail in He failed in h | resist The wound resisted all my efforts to stop it bleeding. | abandon | be rewarded for, reward Her efforts were rewarded when she won an Oscar. | applaud The gallery owner applauded the efforts of firefighters to save the exhibits. EFFORT + VERB come to nothing, fail PREP. in an/your ~ The club has changed the rules in an effort to make them fairer. | through sb's ~ Through their efforts, enough money was raised to buy the equipment. PHRASES your best efforts Despite our best efforts, we didn't manage to win the match. | a reward for your efforts Second prize was a fair reward for his efforts. | make every effort We are making every effort to obtain the release of the hostages.