effort
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the energy and work you use to do something difficult.
the physical or mental exertion required to perform a task or overcome an obstacle.
Simple“It took a lot of effort to climb the steep hill with a heavy backpack.”
In context“The project required a sustained mental effort from the entire team to meet the rigorous safety standards before the deadline.”
UsageOften used with the verb 'make' or 'put in'.
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse this with 'work'; remind them that 'effort' focuses on the intensity or the try itself.
PitfallHe did a lot of effort to pass. He made a lot of effort to pass.In English, you 'make' an effort, you do not 'do' an effort.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
a particular attempt to do something, especially as part of a group.
a conscious endeavor or a specific instance of trying to achieve a goal.
Simple“The local school led the effort to clean up the neighborhood park.”
In context“Despite a coordinated effort by the rescue services, the rising floodwaters made reaching the stranded hikers nearly impossible.”
UsageOften followed by 'to' + infinitive.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
the force used to move something.
the force applied to a machine or body to produce a desired motion or result.
Simple“The lever reduces the amount of effort needed to lift the heavy rock.”
In context“In mechanical systems, the ratio of the output force to the applied effort determines the overall efficiency of the machine.”
UsageUsed as a countable noun in technical contexts.
Teacher's tipThis is a specialized sense; general learners should focus on the 'exertion' meaning first.
Antonyms
Usage effort to end · efforts to contain · effort to kill
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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.