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strive

[strahyv]
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verb (used without object), strove or strived, striv·en [striv-uh n] /ˈstrɪv ən/ or strived, striv·ing.
  1. to exert oneself vigorously; try hard: He strove to make himself understood.
  2. to make strenuous efforts toward any goal: to strive for success.
  3. to contend in opposition, battle, or any conflict; compete.
  4. to struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance: to strive against fate.
  5. to rival; vie.
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Origin of strive

1175–1225; Middle English striven < Old French estriver to quarrel, compete, strive < Germanic; compare obsolete Dutch strijven, German streben to strive
Related formsstriv·er, nounstriv·ing·ly, adverbin·ter·strive, verb (used without object), in·ter·strove, in·ter·striv·en, in·ter·striv·ing.out·strive, verb (used with object), out·strove, out·striv·en, out·striv·ing.o·ver·strive, verb (used without object), o·ver·strove, o·ver·striv·en, o·ver·striv·ing.re·strive, verb (used without object), re·strove, re·striv·en, re·striv·ing.un·striv·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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1. See try. 2. toil. 3. struggle, fight.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for striving

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Always, it was striving to reach her soul, to make her of its own.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • Was there any meaning or purpose in life, any result of the striving?

  • In her mind now floated clearly the ideal toward which her husband was striving.

    Dust

    Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius

  • "I have no right to ask you who he is," he muttered, striving to control himself.

    Fair Margaret

    H. Rider Haggard

  • Your greatest error was in striving at first for such physical perfection.

    The Monster Men

    Edgar Rice Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for striving

strive

verb strives, striving, strove or striven (ˈstrɪvən)
  1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to make a great and tenacious effortto strive to get promotion
  2. (intr) to fight; contend
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Derived Formsstriver, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Old French estriver, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German streben to strive, Old Norse strītha to fight
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for striving

strive

v.

c.1200, from Old French estriver "to quarrel, dispute," from estrif, estrit "quarrel" (see strife). It became a strong verb (past tense strove) by rhyming association with drive, etc.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper