struggle

[ struhg-uhl ]

/ ˈstrʌg əl /

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See synonyms for: struggle / struggled / struggles / struggling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), strug·gled, strug·gling.

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.

verb (used with object), strug·gled, strug·gling.

to bring, put, etc., by struggling: She struggled the heavy box into a corner.

to make (one's way) with violent effort.

noun

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR struggle

1 oppose, contest, fight, conflict.

7 endeavor, exertion.

8 encounter, skirmish.

See synonyms for struggle on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of struggle

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English struglen, stroglen, frequentative verb (see -le) formed on a base of obscure origin

OTHER WORDS FROM struggle

struggler, nounstrug·gling·ly, adverbpre·strug·gle, noun, verb (used without object), pre·strug·gled, pre·strug·gling.un·strug·gling, adjective

Words nearby struggle

structure, structured, structured programming, structureless, strudel, struggle, struggle bus, struggle for existence, strum, struma, struma lymphomatosa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

WHEN TO USE

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.

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-Science
As 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|Fortune
We 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.
Queery: Kerry Hallett|Staff reports|September 2, 2020|Washington Blade
A little over a week into her stay at home, Lavalais watched her struggle to swallow as she tried to drink.
Sent Home to Die|by Annie Waldman and Joshua Kaplan|September 2, 2020|ProPublica

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|DAILY BEAST
We 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|DAILY BEAST
But 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|DAILY BEAST
In her struggle to find her daughter, Esther becomes one of the founders of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF|Jason Berry|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Vicars' 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 Wills
The crowd shuffled off in all directions, and then engaged in a confused struggle for the chairs.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
To this, it is greatly to be feared, the fiery Southerns will not submit without an armed struggle.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
And a severe, embittered struggle then took place in a heart that seemed strangely divided against itself.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
His 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

struggle

/ (ˈstrʌɡəl) /

verb

(intr; usually foll by for or against; may take an infinitive) to exert strength, energy, and force; work or striveto 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

noun

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

Derived forms of struggle

struggler, nounstruggling, adjectivestrugglingly, adverb

Word Origin for struggle

C14: of obscure origin

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

struggle

OTHER WORDS FOR struggle

Origin of struggle

OTHER WORDS FROM struggle

Words nearby struggle

WHEN TO USE

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How to use struggle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for struggle

Derived forms of struggle

Word Origin for struggle