struggle

American  

[struhg-uhl] / ˈstrʌg əl /

verb (used without object)

struggled, struggling

1. to contend with an adversary or opposing force.

   Synonyms:

   conflict, fight, contest, oppose

2. to contend resolutely with a task, problem, etc.; strive.

   to struggle for existence.

3. to advance with violent effort.

   to struggle through the snow.

4. (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)

struggled, struggling

1. to bring, put, etc., by struggling.

   She struggled the heavy box into a corner.

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

noun

1. the process or an act or instance of struggling.

   Synonyms:

   exertion, endeavor

2. a war, fight, conflict, or contest of any kind.

   Synonyms:

   skirmish, encounter

3. a task or goal requiring much effort to accomplish or achieve.

struggle British  

/ ˈstrʌɡəl /

verb

1. (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

2. (intr) to move about strenuously so as to escape from something confining

3. (intr) to contend, battle, or fight

4. (intr) to go or progress with difficulty

---

noun

1. a laboured or strenuous exertion or effort

2. a fight or battle

3. the act of struggling

4. 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

• prestruggle
  noun
• struggler
  noun
• struggling
  adjective
• strugglingly
  adverb
• unstruggling
  adjective

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."

Example Sentences

The result is what Polyakov calls an “intimate symbiosis” that can help Joshua trees growing in dry desert soils reach pockets of nourishment that their roots alone would struggle to access, she said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

South Korea's president was among those who criticised the campaign, saying it "insults the victims and the bloody struggle" of the residents of the southern city of Gwangju.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Professors who are Luddites or have used the same syllabus for years sometimes struggle to get out of that state of inertia, Cook said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

GLP-1 super-responders lose the most weight — and are also more likely to struggle with side effects like nausea and vomiting.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

There was no sign of the struggle or the mud of last night’s rain.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Related Words

• attempt
• battle
• clash
• combat
• conflict
• contest
• effort
• encounter
• endeavor
• skirmish
• strife
• trial
• work