The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word COMPETE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
C
O
M
P
E
T
E
More clues leading to the result COMPETE
- Accomplished Liberal turned out to take part
- Fifty fail to appear in entire contest
- School garden party — head not required to take part
- Finish without large fight
- Vie for domestic income?
- Take part in contest and finish 50 short
- No end of potential seen in whole contest
- Appear to have nobbled favourite in attempt to win
- Host with time for right contest
- Rival‘s advance to embrace darling
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "attempt to win" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case attempt to win = compete.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does COMPETE mean?
COMPETE verb- To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend
- To be in a position in which it is possible to win or triumph.
- To take part in a contest, game or similar event