exert oneself

exert oneself idiom
Put oneself to strenuous effort, as in We exerted ourselves mightily to raise funds. [First half of 1700s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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