Effort Meaning
/ˈɛf.ət/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe work involved in performing an activity; exertion.
nounAn endeavor.
Sentence Examples
Nothing is achieved without effort.
Every effort deserves a reward.
The project was a team effort.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She put a lot of ____ into painting the mural but still made mistakes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Nothing is achieved without ____.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French effort, from Old French esfort, deverbal of esforcier (“to force, exert”), from Vulgar Latin *exfortiō, from Latin ex + fortis (“strong”). Compare typologically Bulgarian усилие (usilie), Czech úsilí, Polish wysiłek, Russian уси́лие (usílije) (< Proto-Slavic *sila).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"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"
— 2011 June 22, Press Association, “Manchester United offer Park Ji-sung a new two-year contract”, in The Guardian:
"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."
— 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
"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."
— 2012 March 26, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87:
"the two bodies between which the effort acts"
— 1858, Macquorn Rankine, Manual of Applied Mechanics:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She put a lot of ____ into painting the mural but still made mistakes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Nothing is achieved without ____.