The phrase "a costly effort" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an endeavor or task that requires significant financial resources or is expensive in terms of time and effort.
Example: "The project turned out to be a costly effort, consuming more funds than initially budgeted."
Alternatives: "an expensive undertaking" or "a high-priced endeavor".
Instead, drivers trucked them away, a costly effort, Mr. Rasmussen said.
A good chunk of it went into a costly effort to establish itself in China — an effort it recently abandoned.
Mr. Simon pointed out that two major education initiatives during the governor's tenure — a costly effort to lower class size and another to provide universal prekindergarten classes — were passed by public referendum, over the governor's objections.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas focused global attention on missile defenses, and came as the United States and its Arab allies have undertaken a costly effort to knit together a regional shield in the Persian Gulf to protect cities, oil refineries, pipelines and military bases from a potential Iranian attack.
"They are trying to destroy us," said Ms. Ely, contending that the lawsuit had no merit but was being pursued in a costly effort to break the Green Springs trust, which she said had no paid staff, had exhausted its resources and was more than $150,000 in debt from the suit.
Looking for a job entails a costly effort, needing investment in readings ads, writing applications, mobilizing one's network, etc.
Preparing TCF Bank Stadium was a complicated, costly effort, beginning with the removal of about 40,000 cubic yards of snow, according to the university spokesman Garry Bowman.
During the process the bell-making endeavor grows into a large, costly effort with many workers and Boriska makes several risky decisions, guided by his instinct.
Henry Kissinger's observation, made during the Vietnam War, should be haunting Hezbollah, the Middle East's most capable guerrilla force, as it becomes embroiled in an increasingly costly effort to save the Assad regime.
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple on Thursday put to rest the last of a series of lawsuits it brought in a losing and costly effort to put a stop to Web leaks about its product plans.
But shutting down a brand is a complicated and costly effort that requires buying out dealers protected by state franchise laws, as well as scaling back production of vehicles.
