struggle
to contend with an adversary or opposing force.
to contend resolutely with a task, problem, etc.; strive: to struggle for existence.
to advance with violent effort: to struggle through the snow.
(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.
to bring, put, etc., by struggling: She struggled the heavy box into a corner.
to make (one's way) with violent effort.
the process or an act or instance of struggling.
a war, fight, conflict, or contest of any kind.
a task or goal requiring much effort to accomplish or achieve.
Origin of struggle
1Other words for struggle
Other words from struggle
- struggler, noun
- strug·gling·ly, adverb
- pre·strug·gle, noun, verb (used without object), pre·strug·gled, pre·strug·gling.
- un·strug·gling, adjective
Words Nearby struggle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use struggle in a sentence
They accept the winners of the power struggle and in a few months, they have a new nest with them.
Blood, death, and eye gouging: welcome to the world of acorn woodpeckers | Kate Baggaley | September 9, 2020 | Popular-ScienceAs a law student at the University of Notre Dame, I’ve seen firsthand the struggle to try to make in-person classes work.
Donald Trump has failed to protect me and other students from COVID-19 | jakemeth | September 3, 2020 | FortuneWe fought a lot about it at first, but now I realize that it was because she had watched the LGBTQ folks of her own generation struggle so much, and she didn’t want me to have to live through that struggle.
A little over a week into her stay at home, Lavalais watched her struggle to swallow as she tried to drink.
Problems in this stress response set kids on a path toward behavior struggles.
Puberty may reboot the brain and behaviors | Esther Landhuis | August 27, 2020 | Science News For Students
Then she managed to struggle a mile through dark, rainy woods.
The 7-Year-Old Plane Crash Survivor’s Brutal Journey Through the Woods | James Higdon | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWe might have thought The Comeback was about a desperate actress's shameless struggle for fame.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards | Kevin Fallon | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut it turns out it was really about a woman's struggle to realize what actually makes her happy.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards | Kevin Fallon | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn her struggle to find her daughter, Esther becomes one of the founders of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
Welcome to the daily struggle of every face you meet in Cuba.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind | Brin-Jonathan Butler | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTVicars' wives had come and gone, but all had submitted, some after a brief struggle, to old Mrs. Wurzel's sway.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsThe crowd shuffled off in all directions, and then engaged in a confused struggle for the chairs.
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. CarrylTo this, it is greatly to be feared, the fiery Southerns will not submit without an armed struggle.
And a severe, embittered struggle then took place in a heart that seemed strangely divided against itself.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodHis repeated coughing seemed a constant warning that at any moment he might be vanquished in the struggle for becoming silence.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson Lloyd
British Dictionary definitions for struggle
/ (ˈstrʌɡəl) /
(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
(intr) to move about strenuously so as to escape from something confining
(intr) to contend, battle, or fight
(intr) to go or progress with difficulty
a laboured or strenuous exertion or effort
a fight or battle
the act of struggling
the struggle Southern African the radical and armed opposition to apartheid, especially by the military wings of the ANC and the PAC
Origin of struggle
1Derived forms of struggle
- struggler, noun
- struggling, adjective
- strugglingly, adverb
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
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