strive
Americanverb (used without object)
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to exert oneself vigorously; try hard.
He strove to make himself understood.
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to make strenuous efforts toward any goal.
to strive for success.
- Synonyms:
- toil
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to contend in opposition, battle, or any conflict; compete.
-
to struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance.
to strive against fate.
-
to rival; vie.
verb
-
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to make a great and tenacious effort
to strive to get promotion
-
(intr) to fight; contend
Related Words
See try.
Other Word Forms
- interstrive verb (used without object)
- outstrive verb (used with object)
- overstrive verb (used without object)
- restrive verb (used without object)
- striver noun
Etymology
Origin of strive
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English striven from Old French estriver “to quarrel, compete, strive” from Germanic; compare obsolete Dutch strijven, German streben “to strive”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These aspirations speak to customers’ greatest desires, their dreams for the future, and their conceptions of who they are and who they strive to be.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
"In 2026, we will strive to achieve the target of delivering 550,000 vehicles for the entire year," Xiaomi said in the statement.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
"Do we want owners who are not ambitious, who want to sit 13th and 14th, or do we want to strive higher? I'd go with the latter."
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
Though the organization no longer recommends a specific time limit, an hour is a good goal to strive for, said Dr. Tiffany Munzer, the lead author of the organization’s latest policy statement on technology use.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
I wanted to encourage kids to strive to get to college and, once there, to stick with it.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
