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

Opening up to Will about her off-camera struggles, Janet shared stories no one — including the cast and crew — knew was happening.
7 Things We Learned From the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Reunion|cmurray|November 20, 2020|Essence.com
It’s not a status Awotona would’ve been familiar with in his early days, when even getting a meeting with an investor was a struggle.
Meet the unicorn founder that braved war zones and missed meetings to make his mark on the startup world|Lucinda Shen|November 20, 2020|Fortune
It’s far more of a struggle than a dry one, and feels different.
This Is How We’ll Engineer Artificial Touch|Shelly Fan|November 17, 2020|Singularity Hub
Building a machine that can think and do things that people can do has been the goal of AI since the very beginning, but it’s been a long, long struggle.
Podcast: Can you teach a machine common sense?|Anthony Green|November 11, 2020|MIT Technology Review

There is a history of similar power struggles across the state.
New County Board and Sheriff Could Be Headed for a Standoff|Maya Srikrishnan|November 11, 2020|Voice of San Diego
There are instances in which private rehoming works out fine and is the best solution for the struggling family and the children.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some longtime local acquaintances are struggling to square the man they know with the ugly associations.
No. 3 Republican Admits Talking to White Supremacist Conference|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Parker tells of a new Texas struggling to deal with inequality.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Parker tells of a new Texas struggling to deal with diversity.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thanks to decades of social-science research, we know more about how to help struggling Americans than ever before.
Can the U.S. Government Go Moneyball?|Peter Orszag, Jim Nussle|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Life is represented as struggling to free herself from the gross earthly forms that cling to her.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
As for the girl struggling with the second woman—the one called “Martha”—she was not very well dressed.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
They tried it, laughing and struggling together with the awkward burden, but keeping their voices low.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
"It has been a most merciful escape," Maloney said, his pulpit voice struggling with his emotion.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
It seemed to her for a moment as if she were almost struggling to be angry, to be unhappy, and as if the struggle were vain.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens

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