50+ Essential "Effort" Collocations: Master Natural English Expressions

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Mastering effort collocations transforms your English from basic to sophisticated. These word partnerships appear frequently in academic writing, professional communication, and everyday conversation. Understanding how native speakers naturally combine "effort" with adjectives and other words creates fluency that textbooks rarely teach. This comprehensive guide presents over 50 authentic effort collocations organized by themes, complete with pronunciation guides and real-world examples that demonstrate precise usage in context.

50+ most common collocations with Effort in English

I. What is Effort?
II. Compilation of Common Collocations with Effort
III. Exercises on Effort Collocations

I. What is Effort?

In English, "Effort" is pronounced as /ˈef.ɚt/ and functions as a noun, meaning: physical or mental activity needed to achieve something, or an attempt to do something. For example:

It took years to write the book, but it was worth the effort.
The new system has been introduced in an effort to improve customer care.

II. Compilation of Common Collocations with Effort

To help you learn effort collocations effectively and easily, PREP has compiled over 50 collocations with effort, along with specific examples for each case. Review these comprehensive categories now!

1. Intensity and Scale Collocations

No.	Collocations with Effort	Example
1	Advocacy effort /ˈædvəkəsi ˈɛfərt/	Advocacy efforts focus on protecting the conditions that promote a successful research environment.
2	All-out effort /ˌɔːlˈaʊt ˈɛfərt/	We made an all-out effort to get the project finished on time.
3	Ambitious effort /æmˈbɪʃəs ˈɛfərt/	Take the case of the Bhoomi Project, an ambitious effort by the southern Indian state, making them more accessible.
4	Enormous effort /ɪˈnɔːrməs ˈɛfərt/	Launching a successful startup requires enormous effort and dedication.
5	Extensive effort /ɪkˈstɛnsɪv ˈɛfərt/	The research required extensive effort but yielded groundbreaking results.
6	Considerable effort /kənˈsɪdərəbəl ˈɛfərt/	Attracting tourists to the area is going to take considerable effort.
7	Tremendous effort /trɪˈmɛndəs ˈɛfərt/	The team put in tremendous effort to meet the deadline.
8	Minimal effort /ˈmɪnɪməl ˈɛfərt/	He completed the task with minimal effort due to his expertise.
9	Maximum effort /ˈmæksɪməm ˈɛfərt/	The athletes gave maximum effort during the championship race.
10	Herculean effort /ˌhɜːrkjəˈliːən ˈɛfərt/	Moving the entire office required a Herculean effort from the whole team.

These intensity-based effort collocations demonstrate varying degrees of energy and commitment required for different tasks.

2. Quality and Character Collocations

No.	Collocations with Effort	Example
11	Best effort /bɛst ˈɛfərt/	It's not that you shouldn't make the best effort, always to be as precise as possible.
12	Conscious effort /ˈkɒnʃəs ˈɛfərt/	We have made a conscious effort to devolve responsibility.
13	Deliberate effort /dɪˈlɪbərət ˈɛfərt/	With deliberate effort, she honed her public speaking skills.
14	Determined effort /dɪˈtɜːrmɪnd ˈɛfərt/	With a determined effort, she completed the marathon despite the rain.
15	Genuine effort /ˈdʒɛnjuɪn ˈɛfərt/	The company made a genuine effort to address customer complaints.
16	Sincere effort /sɪnˈsɪər ˈɛfərt/	His sincere effort to apologize mended their friendship.
17	Honest effort /ˈɒnɪst ˈɛfərt/	Despite the outcome, everyone recognized her honest effort to succeed.
18	Noble effort /ˈnoʊbəl ˈɛfərt/	Volunteering at the shelter was a noble effort to help the community.
19	Worthwhile effort /ˈwɜːrθˌwaɪl ˈɛfərt/	Learning a new language is always a worthwhile effort.
20	Valiant effort /ˈvæljənt ˈɛfərt/	Despite losing, the team made a valiant effort in the final minutes.

Character-focused effort collocations express the moral quality and intention behind actions.

3. Urgency and Desperation Collocations

No.	Collocations with Effort	Example
21	Desperate effort /ˈdɛspərət ˈɛfərt/	In a desperate effort to catch the train, he sprinted through the station.
22	Last-ditch effort /læst dɪtʃ ˈɛfərt/	The surgeon made a last-ditch effort to save the patient's life.
23	Frantic effort /ˈfræntɪk ˈɛfərt/	She made a frantic effort to find her lost keys before the meeting.
24	Urgent effort /ˈɜːrdʒənt ˈɛfərt/	The rescue team launched an urgent effort to reach the stranded climbers.
25	Emergency effort /ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi ˈɛfərt/	The hospital mobilized an emergency effort to treat the accident victims.
26	Crisis effort /ˈkraɪsɪs ˈɛfərt/	The government initiated a crisis effort to contain the pandemic spread.
27	Rescue effort /ˈrɛskju ˈɛfərt/	International teams joined the rescue effort after the earthquake.
28	Recovery effort /rɪˈkʌvəri ˈɛfərt/	The community organized a recovery effort following the natural disaster.
29	Relief effort /rɪˈliːf ˈɛfərt/	Volunteers coordinated a massive relief effort for flood victims.
30	Salvage effort /ˈsælvɪdʒ ˈɛfərt/	The team launched a salvage effort to save the failing project.

Urgency-related effort collocations convey time pressure and critical situations requiring immediate action.

4. Collaboration and Teamwork Collocations

No.	Collocations with Effort	Example
31	Collaborative effort /kəˈlæbərətɪv ˈɛfərt/	The presentation was a collaborative effort by all the children in the class.
32	Collective effort /kəˈlɛktɪv ˈɛfərt/	As a result of collective effort, the difficult situation changed into a favorable one.
33	Combined effort /kəmˈbaɪnd ˈɛfərt/	The web may be a combined effort of social cobweb spiders.
34	Concerted effort /kənˈsɜːrtɪd ˈɛfərt/	Robert's making a concerted effort to improve his appearance.
35	Cooperative effort /koʊˈɒpərətɪv ˈɛfərt/	The project's success was the result of a cooperative effort among team members.
36	Coordinated effort /koʊˈɔːrdɪneɪtɪd ˈɛfərt/	The rescue operation involved a coordinated effort between various agencies.
37	Joint effort /dʒɔɪnt ˈɛfərt/	The peace treaty was achieved through a joint effort by both nations.
38	Team effort /tiːm ˈɛfərt/	Winning the championship was truly a team effort.
39	Group effort /ɡruːp ˈɛfərt/	The charity fundraiser succeeded thanks to a strong group effort.
40	Unified effort /ˈjuːnɪfaɪd ˈɛfərt/	The community showed a unified effort to rebuild after the storm.

Teamwork-based effort collocations emphasize cooperation and shared responsibility in achieving goals.

5. Duration and Continuity Collocations

No.	Collocations with Effort	Example
41	Continued effort /kənˈtɪnjuːd ˈɛfərt/	Despite setbacks, she continued her effort to learn piano.
42	Continuing effort /kənˈtɪnjuːɪŋ ˈɛfərt/	His continuing effort to improve his writing skills paid off.
43	Continuous effort /kənˈtɪnjuəs ˈɛfərt/	Success in language learning requires continuous effort.
44	Sustained effort /səˈsteɪnd ˈɛfərt/	The marathon required sustained effort throughout the 26.2-mile race.
45	Persistent effort /pərˈsɪstənt ˈɛfərt/	Her persistent effort finally convinced the committee to approve the proposal.
46	Ongoing effort /ˈɒnɡoʊɪŋ ˈɛfərt/	Environmental protection requires an ongoing effort from all citizens.
47	Long-term effort /lɔːŋ tɜːrm ˈɛfərt/	Climate change mitigation demands a long-term effort spanning decades.
48	Lifetime effort /ˈlaɪftaɪm ˈɛfərt/	Mastering a musical instrument often represents a lifetime effort.
49	Repeated effort /rɪˈpiːtɪd ˈɛfərt/	The lock finally opened after repeated efforts with different keys.
50	Relentless effort /rɪˈlɛntləs ˈɛfərt/	The detective's relentless effort eventually solved the cold case.

Duration-focused effort collocations highlight the time commitment and persistence required for success.

6. Specialized Domain Collocations

No.	Collocations with Effort	Example
51	Conservation effort /ˌkɒnsərˈveɪʃən ˈɛfərt/	Scientists announced the historic advance yesterday in a conservation effort that has taken years and spanned continents.
52	Diplomatic effort /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk ˈɛfərt/	Diplomatic efforts were made to resolve the conflict peacefully.
53	Research effort /rɪˈsɜːrtʃ ˈɛfərt/	The university launched a major research effort to find new cancer treatments.
54	Marketing effort /ˈmɑːrkɪtɪŋ ˈɛfərt/	The company increased its marketing effort to reach younger consumers.
55	Educational effort /ˌɛdʒʊˈkeɪʃənəl ˈɛfərt/	The school district launched an educational effort to improve literacy rates.

Professional effort collocations are field-specific expressions commonly used in academic and workplace contexts.

These tables provide English learners with essential effort collocations organized by thematic categories. Each entry includes phonetic transcription and practical examples that demonstrate natural usage patterns. Understanding these collocations with effort enhances both spoken and written English fluency while building vocabulary systematically.

For further reference on effort collocations, you can also visit the link below!

EXPLORE MORE COLLOCATIONS WITH EFFORT WITH CAMBRIDGE!

III. Exercises on Effort Collocations

To further understand effort collocations, complete the following exercises together, provided by PREP.

Exercise: Choose the correct answer

His research and _____ focused on access to medicines in developing countries, health and human rights.
1. Minimal effort
2. Collective efforts
3. Advocacy efforts
We are thus making an _____ to increase our production.
1. All-out effort
2. Cleanup effort
3. Advocacy efforts
This project is a _____ between various departments of the company.
1. Collaborative efforts
2. Wasted effort
3. Tireless effort
Solving this problem requires a _____ from everyone in the team.
1. Collective efforts
2. Solo effort
3. Recovery effort
We achieved success through the _____ of the whole group.
1. Combined effort
2. Solo effort
3. Minimal effort

Answer:

1 - C

2 - A

3 - A

4 - A

5 - A

These 55 effort collocations represent essential building blocks for advanced English proficiency. Regular practice with these collocations with effort develops natural speech patterns that distinguish fluent speakers from learners. Focus on one category weekly, incorporating new effort collocations into daily writing and speaking practice. Remember that mastering these combinations requires sustained effort—but the investment pays substantial dividends in communication clarity and confidence. Start with effort collocations that match your current needs, whether academic, professional, or conversational, then gradually expand your repertoire across all categories.

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