strive
Americanverb (used without object)
-
strives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
strived,
past participle, past
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strove,
past
-
striven,
past participle
-
striving
present participle
-
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
Synonym Usage
See try.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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strivernoun
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outstriveverb (used with object)
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interstriveverb (used without object)
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overstriveverb (used without object)
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restriveverb (used without object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
strivesimple
-
strivessimple
-
have strivedperfect
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have strivenperfect
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has strivedperfect
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has strivenperfect
-
am strivingprogressive
-
are strivingprogressive
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is strivingprogressive
-
have been strivingperfect progressive
-
has been strivingperfect progressive
Past
-
strivedsimple
-
strovesimple
-
had strivedperfect
-
had strivenperfect
-
was strivingprogressive
-
were strivingprogressive
-
had been strivingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
To strive is to endeavor, reach, or strain for something above or beyond. We strive for self-improvement, a better world, or success in general. The Old French origin of this word, estriver ("quarrel," "dispute"), had its 800th birthday not too long ago. Though it shares its roots with strife ("conflict"), it changed over the years (centuries, actually) to describe something more like a conflict with oneself, the attempt to overcome limitations and stay focused on a goal, regardless of whatever quarrels or disputes come up.
Vocabulary lists containing strive
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
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"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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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.
See Examples For:
As AI becomes increasingly influential, journalism should strive for the same precision in describing these systems that it applies to reporting on medicine, economics or the law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Posting on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: "We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed."
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
By rubber-stamping a fourth term despite these toxic scandals, football's governing bodies are showing they are content to sit in rotten squalor rather than strive for something better.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
They strive to turn Jane Does into real people and to give their stories meaning and dignity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
I strove to wake, to brush aside those pathetic flutterings, but strive as I would I could not...at last I sat up, sleep and dream alike banished, wide awake now.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Still, he strives, with Sisyphean defiance, to break free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
"We will also have to close some programmes," he added, saying "output with the highest audience value and impact" would be prioritised as the BBC strives to be "simpler and faster".
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
"He wants us to be better, and that's exactly what I, my family, and I hope every single other person here strives to do every single day - make this world a better place."
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
A promise for what this country strives to stand for.
From Slate ● May 22, 2026
Her given name was Nomzamo, which means one who strives or imdergoes trials, a name as prophetic as my own.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
For over three years, Jared Kushner has strived to build a set of luxury hotels and resorts in a corner of Eastern Europe that U.S. investors typically overlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Gellar also praised their fans for allowing them to enjoy a very private life at home with their children, noting that they have always strived to keep their more intimate family life behind closed doors.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
But last July, the government said it had been informed by the US defense department that the deliveries to Switzerland would be delayed as Washington strived to provide more support for Ukraine.
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026
"It is time for me to join the party which best represents the views of myself and the people of St Helens in order to act on the improvements I have long strived for."
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
I do believe mortals strived more heartily toward their goals, because they knew that time was of the essence.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Southgate decided on his penalty takers well in advance based on that training, and strove publicly to take full accountability to take any blame away from his players.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
SKW posted losses three years in a row as the country strove to wean itself off cheap Russian energy supplies.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
Silverblatt said he strove to read an author’s entire body of work, but he never claimed to have read it all if he hadn’t.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026
Less attention has been paid to the ways in which enslaved people strove for emancipation through acts of resistance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
These two brothers were very close to one another, a fact which had always been a matter of pride to Ellen, who strove to make family ties firm and secure.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
He has striven to place Cohere as a sovereign alternative in both the European and Asian markets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Europeans have striven this year to maintain U.S. backing for Ukraine—or at least blunt a reduction in U.S. support.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Under authoritarian leader and ardent nationalist Xi Jinping, the government has striven to assert China’s power in international affairs, including through culture and language.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
“Memorial” does for Lin’s legacy what she has striven to do in her work — invite people to consider uncomfortable truths.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
For when I look back over his career, I can see with hindsight that he must have striven throughout his years somehow to become that butler of his story.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
In fact, Americans of all ages, backgrounds and incomes are striving for a better life, but say the rising cost of living prevents them from their aspirations, the researchers found.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
To children, “Spirited Away” is about a little girl striving to find a way back home, a premise as familiar as “The Wizard of Oz.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Domino’s Pizza said its operations chief Joe Jordan will take over as chief executive of the world’s biggest pizza company, which is striving to reinvigorate sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Developers are striving to achieve fault tolerance by the end of the decade, which means building a machine that can run smoothly even when its individual parts fail or experience disruption.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
A Working Boy can use every penny that he can get his ambitious and striving hands on.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
