strive
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to exert oneself vigorously; try hard.
He strove to make himself understood.
-
to make strenuous efforts toward any goal.
to strive for success.
- Synonyms:
- toil
-
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.
"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
In their sweaty striving to be hosted and toasted at the right dinners, book parties, panels, benefits or openings—the Paleo protein of New York Upper Crust evening smorgasbord—many lost their bearings.
“We strive to be a great place to work at every stage of life,” said a Walmart spokesperson.
From MarketWatch
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
Companies in the AI race are striving to perfect the technology, but they have not eliminated the possibility of errors such as "hallucinations" in which fabricated output is confidently presented.
From Barron's
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.
