Endeavour is a formal word for trying very hard or making an attempt to do something new or difficult. It can be a verb or a noun, and it has different spellings in British and American English. Endeavour definition: to try (to do something). See examples of ENDEAVOUR used in a sentence. To endeavour is to strive for something . The endeavour itself is the thing you're striving for, the enterprise or undertaking. It's a primarily British spelling of the word. When you endeavor to do something, you try hard to make it happen. A determined student might endeavor to get straight As on her report card.