Words / C1

in-DEV-uh/ɪnˈdevə/

To endeavour is a formal try hard: we endeavour to reply within a week. Try is the everyday verb you should prefer in almost all speech; attempt is a close cousin. As a noun, an endeavour is an undertaking (a scientific endeavour), and the British spelling is endeavour, not endeavor. In notices it can sound polite; in conversation it sounds stiff — the pattern is endeavour to + verb.

Meaning

To try hard to do something; a more formal word for try.

Examples

• “We endeavour to mark work within a week.”
• “We endeavour to keep class sizes under twenty.”
• “The restoration was a long endeavour, not a weekend job.”

Good to know

Formal for try. endeavour to + verb. Noun: an endeavour. British spelling -our. Everyday: try / attempt.

Near in meaning

attempt

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