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

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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use struggle in a sentence

Next we turn our attention to the NFL, and in particular to the struggles of the New England Patriots.
Who’s The Nerdiest Team In Sports?|Sarah Shachat|October 27, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The world is saturated in information, and standards of living have never been higher, but so often it’s a struggle to see beyond the next news cycle, political term, or business quarter.
Humanity is stuck in short-term thinking. Here’s how we escape.|Katie McLean|October 21, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The struggle to make outdoor dining bearable is more proof of the limits of the half-measures taken by our government to protect restaurants throughout the pandemic.
As Restaurants Prepare for Winter Outdoor Dining, Convincing Customers Remains a Challenge|Jaya Saxena|October 15, 2020|Eater
Instead of shying away from the struggles of her brand, Diane Von Furstenberg has been quite vocal about them, and hopes her trials can be a lesson for others.
Diane Von Furstenberg, rocked by pandemic, insists the jet-setting woman hasn’t gone away|Daniel Bentley|October 13, 2020|Fortune

Looking back at how far we’ve already come in that struggle, such a thing can only be viewed as remarkable.
Rupert Everett reminds us homophobia persists in Hollywood|John Paul King|October 10, 2020|Washington Blade
Against all these things had this ‘old struggler’ to contend; over all these p. 104things did this ‘old struggler’ prevail.
Obiter Dicta|Augustine Birrell
The social struggler and the man who never stands treat when it comes his turn are welcome nowhere, from the slums up.
What Will People Say?|Rupert Hughes
The celebrated author was a little surprised, because in the books the young struggler had needed but one lift, apparently.
Alonzo Fitz and Other Stories|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
A struggler after faith may well count among his assets the insight of the seers and of the Seer.
The Meaning of Faith|Harry Emerson Fosdick
I was floating on those waves of human being, in which the struggler must make for the shore, or sink.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXLV. July, 1844. Vol. LVI.|Various

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 related to struggle

How to use struggle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for struggle

Derived forms of struggle

Word Origin for struggle