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.
-
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
-
was strugglingprogressive
-
were strugglingprogressive
-
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
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Beowulf vocabulary
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myPerspectives 7.1
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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:
Older, healthier animals might eventually return to the wild, but younger ones struggle to learn the skills needed to survive.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Meanwhile, other patients struggle to obtain a primary care visit, an HPV vaccine, a mammogram, or a colonoscopy—all already proven to save lives.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
So many people are so stuck in the struggle of day-to-day survival that they can barely plug into politics at all.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Stocks continued to struggle on Wednesday as crude oil prices and Treasury yields built on recent gains.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
But sadness is a powerful foe, maybe harder to keep down than happiness, and it was a struggle.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
The team also struggles with stonewalling from social media sites and chronic shortages of staff and funds.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
He doesn’t know what caused it, but his feet are so swollen he struggles to walk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
As Snap struggles with profitability, its CEO is doubling down on a hardware play that has made some investors wary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Fournier believes Clancy was wronged by the US health system and felt compelled, as a woman and a mother, to show up for a case that has given a spotlight to postpartum struggles.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
I’m setting the pace, and Jonah’s breathing goes ragged as he struggles to stay with me.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Not long ago, the smartest models struggled with basic math.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Mum-of-one Caitlin Gibson said she was living with her mum and struggled to save anything while caring for her young daughter.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
She said she did not support Platner and would have struggled to vote for him had he stayed in the race.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
At first, she struggled to comprehend the danger.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
A flush rose up on Boaz’s neck, and he suddenly struggled for words.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Across America, many homeowners are struggling to keep up with insurance premiums.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
“I don’t have to look at a white paper on affordability. I know people are struggling and that this economy is hurting people,” Berg told The 19th.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Holiday lets "can generate important economic and social benefits, especially for households struggling to make ends meet" but "they may also aggravate housing demand pressures in some constrained local housing markets," the EU draft read.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
"They're not middle-class. They're working-class people who are struggling, and their children have been disadvantaged," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Her mother came up spluttering at last, struggling to keep herself and Tía Beatriz above water.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
