different between attempt vs whirl

English

Etymology

Late 14th century, as Middle English attempten, from Old French atempter, from Latin attempt? (“I try, solicit”), from ad (“to”) + temptare, more correctly tentare (“to try”); see tempt.The noun is from the 1530s, the sense "an assault on somebody's life, assassination attempt" (French attentat) is from 1580.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t?mpt/
• Rhymes: -?mpt

Verb

attempt (third-person singular simple present attempts, present participle attempting, simple past and past participle attempted)

1. To try.

   I attempted to sing, but my throat was too hoarse.

   to attempt an escape from prison

   • 1842, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Village Blacksmith

     Something attempted, something done, / Has earned a night's repose.
2. (obsolete) To try to move, by entreaty, by afflictions, or by temptations; to tempt.
   • c. 1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

     Yet since I see you fearful, that neither my coat, integrity, nor persuasion can with ease attempt you, I will go further than I meant, to pluck all fears out of you.
3. (archaic) To try to win, subdue, or overcome.

   one who attempts the virtue of a woman
4. (archaic) To attack; to make an effort or attack upon; to try to take by force.

   to attempt the enemy's camp

   • 1830, John Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic

     without attempting his adversary's life

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• take a stab at, take a run at

Translations

Noun

attempt (plural attempts)

1. The action of trying at something. [1530]

   We made an attempt to cross the stream, but didn't manage.

   This poem is much better than the feeble attempt of mine.

   It was worth the attempt.

   No matter how many failed attempts we made, we maintained a positive attitude and tried again and again until we succeeded.
2. An assault or attack, especially an assassination attempt. [1580]
   • 1584 No man can charge us of any attempt against the realm. (Allen's Defence Of English Catholics, cited after Edinburgh review 1883, p. 378)

Usage notes

• Adjectives often applied to "attempt": first, failed, desperate, last, half-hearted, unsuccessful, serious, successful, feeble, new, honest, vain, sincere, ambitious, earnest, clumsy, direct, hard, brilliant, official, useless, clever, sophisticated, amateurish.

Synonyms

• effort
• try

Translations

Further reading

• attempt in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• attempt in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• attempt at OneLook Dictionary Search

English

Etymology

From Middle English whirlen, contracted from earlier *whervelen, possibly from Old English *hweorflian, frequentative form of Old English hweorfan (“to turn”), itself from Proto-Germanic *hwerban? (“turn”); or perhaps from Old Norse hvirfla (“to go round, spin”). Cognate with Dutch wervelen (“to whirl, swirl”), German wirbeln (“to whirl, swirl”), Danish hvirvle (“to whirl”), Swedish virvla (older spelling hvirfla), Albanian vorbull (“a whirl”). Related to whirr and wharve.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /w??l/ or IPA^(key): /???l/ (some Welsh and English accents)
• (US) enPR: wûrl, IPA^(key): /w?l/ or enPR: hwûrl, IPA^(key): /??l/
• (Scotland, Ireland) IPA^(key): /???(??)l/

Rhymes: -??(r)l

• Homophone: whorl

Verb

whirl (third-person singular simple present whirls, present participle whirling, simple past and past participle whirled)

1. (intransitive) To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly.

   • He whirls his sword around without delay.

   • 1900, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

     The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon.

2. (intransitive) To have a sensation of spinning or reeling.

3. (transitive) To make something or someone whirl.

4. (transitive) To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch.
   • The passionate heart of the poet is whirl'd into folly.

Translations

Noun

whirl (plural whirls)

1. An act of whirling.

   She gave the top a whirl and it spun across the floor.

2. Something that whirls.
3. A confused tumult.
4. A rapid series of events.

   My life is one social whirl.

5. Dizziness or giddiness.

   My mind was in a whirl.

6. (informal) (usually following “give”) A brief experiment or trial.

   OK, let's give it a whirl.

Derived terms

• awhirl
• whirligig
• whirlpool

Translations