struggle

[ struhg-uhl ]

verb (used without object)

, strug·gled, strug·gling.

1. to contend with an adversary or opposing force.

   Synonyms: conflict, fight, contest, oppose

2. to contend resolutely with a task, problem, etc.; strive:

   to struggle for existence.

3. to advance with violent effort:

   to struggle through the snow.

4. (of athletes and competitors) to be coping with inability to perform well or to win; contend with difficulty:

   After struggling for the whole month of June, he suddenly caught fire and raised his batting average 30 points.

verb (used with object)

, strug·gled, strug·gling.

1. to bring, put, etc., by struggling:

   She struggled the heavy box into a corner.

2. to make (one's way) with violent effort.

noun

1. the process or an act or instance of struggling.

   Synonyms: exertion, endeavor

2. a war, fight, conflict, or contest of any kind.

   Synonyms: encounter, skirmish

3. a task or goal requiring much effort to accomplish or achieve.

struggle

/ ˈstrʌɡəl /

verb

1. intr; usually foll by for or against; may take an infinitive to exert strength, energy, and force; work or strive

   to struggle to obtain freedom

2. intr to move about strenuously so as to escape from something confining
3. intr to contend, battle, or fight
4. intr to go or progress with difficulty

noun

1. a laboured or strenuous exertion or effort
2. a fight or battle
3. the act of struggling
4. the struggle
   the struggle the radical and armed opposition to apartheid, especially by the military wings of the ANC and the PAC

Derived Forms

• ˈstruggling, adjective
• ˈstrugglingly, adverb
• ˈstruggler, noun

Other Words From

• struggler noun
• struggling·ly adverb
• pre·struggle noun verb (used without object) prestruggled prestruggling
• un·struggling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of struggle¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English struglen, stroglen, frequentative verb ( -le ) formed on a base of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of struggle¹

C14: of obscure origin

Example Sentences

They accept the winners of the power struggle and in a few months, they have a new nest with them.

From Popular-Science

As a law student at the University of Notre Dame, I’ve seen firsthand the struggle to try to make in-person classes work.

From Fortune

We fought a lot about it at first, but now I realize that it was because she had watched the LGBTQ folks of her own generation struggle so much, and she didn’t want me to have to live through that struggle.

From Washington Blade

A little over a week into her stay at home, Lavalais watched her struggle to swallow as she tried to drink.

From ProPublica

Problems in this stress response set kids on a path toward behavior struggles.

From Science News For Students

Then she managed to struggle a mile through dark, rainy woods.

From The Daily Beast

We might have thought The Comeback was about a desperate actress's shameless struggle for fame.

From The Daily Beast

But it turns out it was really about a woman's struggle to realize what actually makes her happy.

From The Daily Beast

In her struggle to find her daughter, Esther becomes one of the founders of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.

From The Daily Beast

Welcome to the daily struggle of every face you meet in Cuba.

From The Daily Beast

Vicars' wives had come and gone, but all had submitted, some after a brief struggle, to old Mrs. Wurzel's sway.

From Project Gutenberg

The crowd shuffled off in all directions, and then engaged in a confused struggle for the chairs.

From Project Gutenberg

To this, it is greatly to be feared, the fiery Southerns will not submit without an armed struggle.

From Project Gutenberg

And a severe, embittered struggle then took place in a heart that seemed strangely divided against itself.

From Project Gutenberg

His repeated coughing seemed a constant warning that at any moment he might be vanquished in the struggle for becoming silence.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• attempt
• battle
• clash
• combat
• conflict
• contest
• effort
• encounter
• endeavor
• skirmish
• strife
• trial
• work

When To Use

What are other ways to say struggle?

A struggle is a war, fight, conflict, or contest of any kind. How does struggle compare to brush and clash? Find out on Thesaurus.com.