struggle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
struggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
struggled,
past participle, past
-
struggling
present participle
-
to contend with an adversary or opposing force.
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to contend resolutely with a task, problem, etc.; strive.
to struggle for existence.
-
to advance with violent effort.
to struggle through the snow.
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(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)
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struggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
struggled,
past participle, past
-
struggling
present participle
-
to bring, put, etc., by struggling.
She struggled the heavy box into a corner.
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to make (one's way) with violent effort.
verb
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(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
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(intr) to move about strenuously so as to escape from something confining
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(intr) to contend, battle, or fight
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(intr) to go or progress with difficulty
noun
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a laboured or strenuous exertion or effort
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a fight or battle
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the act of struggling
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the radical and armed opposition to apartheid, especially by the military wings of the ANC and the PAC
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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strugglesimple
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strugglessimple
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have struggledperfect
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has struggledperfect
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am strugglingprogressive
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are strugglingprogressive
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is strugglingprogressive
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have been strugglingperfect progressive
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has been strugglingperfect progressive
Past
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struggledsimple
-
had struggledperfect
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was strugglingprogressive
-
were strugglingprogressive
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had been strugglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of struggle
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English struglen, stroglen, frequentative verb ( see -le) formed on a base of obscure origin
Explanation
Something that can only be accomplished with great effort is said to be a struggle. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader in the Civil Rights struggle. Alice Paul was a leader in the struggle for a woman's right to vote. The verb form of struggle can be used for physical or mental effort. A police officer might struggle trying to detain a criminal or a student may struggle with a difficult algebra problem. If you scramble and climb awkwardly up something, you can also use the verb struggle to describe the action: "They struggled up the icy hill over and over again, so they could keep sledding."
Vocabulary lists containing struggle
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myPerspectives 7.1
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
"Every day is a struggle for her, more than for anybody else," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
For her, that moment of need had come after years of financial struggle.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Archer was a spectator for some time after his initial struggle.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
If AI companies struggle to show a return on their AI capital expenditures, that also could “paradoxically” boost their bonds, according to a recent note from Lotfi Karoui, multi-asset credit strategist at Pimco.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
But as soon as she got one leg free, the other was sucked into the sticky sludge, her balance already a struggle with that missing front paw.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Time will tell whether Garnacho faces the same struggles, having experienced his career stalling over the past two years.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Those involved in that decision point to Polanski's recent struggles and feel vindicated.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Dave’s embarrassment about their struggles was coming out as combativeness toward the people to whom they owed money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Bank of England, however, is forecast to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 3.75 percent on Thursday as the UK economy struggles for growth.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
She can see him trying to work it out in his mind and she struggles with the best way to explain it.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
While AI plays might be back in vogue, utilities have struggled, as have consumer discretionary stocks, including names tied to automobile components, textiles and luxury goods, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
Mattea, 17, is in temporary social housing and has struggled with anxiety and depression.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Just as they did in their abysmal season opener, the Chargers struggled at home Sunday and failed to establish a rhythm on their way to a 26-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Study co-author Alessandro Chiarenza, a paleontologist at University College London, said an internally regulated body temperature could have allowed tyrannosaurs to live in regions where cold-blooded reptiles struggled to survive.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
Rowan drew breath, struggled to regain his feet.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
He's represented his country at Under-18s, Under-20s and Under-21s and has started the season particularly well at an albeit struggling Blackburn.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Wall Street has at times seen Meta as a potential weak spot in the AI trade, with analysts struggling to square how the company’s massive capital investments would yield returns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Despite the hindbrain's vital role, scientists have spent decades struggling to create human hindbrain neurons in the laboratory.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
He says it concludes the rise in mental health problems since the 1990s is real, with about one in four 16 to 24-year-olds now struggling.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Gideon had probably left him struggling to fix a net.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
