take (great) pains
idiom
: to try hard (to do something)
He took (great) pains to explain the situation to us.
Examples of take (great) pains in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many countries now take great pains to account for their missing.
—
Heather Wishart-Smith, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
That said, if Russia is on the road to postimperial rule, the AASC would take pains not to exclude the country’s new leadership or to reopen old wounds.
—Lise Morjé Howard, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2023
And, when the Vandals are together in public, the police take pains to stay out of their way.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 June 2024
Operating systems take pains to randomize and conceal these locations so they can’t be used in software exploits.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 11 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take (great) pains 
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Heather Wishart-Smith, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
That said, if Russia is on the road to postimperial rule, the AASC would take pains not to exclude the country’s new leadership or to reopen old wounds.
—Lise Morjé Howard, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2023
And, when the Vandals are together in public, the police take pains to stay out of their way.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 June 2024
Operating systems take pains to randomize and conceal these locations so they can’t be used in software exploits.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 11 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take (great) pains
Dictionary Entries Near take (great) pains
Cite this Entry
“Take (great) pains.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20%28great%29%20pains. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
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