strive
Americanverb (used without object)
-
strives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
strived,
past participle, past
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strove,
past
-
striven,
past participle
-
striving
present participle
-
to exert oneself vigorously; try hard.
He strove to make himself understood.
-
to make strenuous efforts toward any goal.
to strive for success.
- Synonyms:
- toil
-
to contend in opposition, battle, or any conflict; compete.
-
to struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance.
to strive against fate.
-
to rival; vie.
verb
-
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to make a great and tenacious effort
to strive to get promotion
-
(intr) to fight; contend
Synonym Usage
See try.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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strivernoun
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outstriveverb (used with object)
-
interstriveverb (used without object)
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overstriveverb (used without object)
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restriveverb (used without object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
strivesimple
-
strivessimple
-
have strivedperfect
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have strivenperfect
-
has strivedperfect
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has strivenperfect
-
am strivingprogressive
-
are strivingprogressive
-
is strivingprogressive
-
have been strivingperfect progressive
-
has been strivingperfect progressive
Past
-
strivedsimple
-
strovesimple
-
had strivedperfect
-
had strivenperfect
-
was strivingprogressive
-
were strivingprogressive
-
had been strivingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of strive
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English striven from Old French estriver “to quarrel, compete, strive” from Germanic; compare obsolete Dutch strijven, German streben “to strive”
Explanation
To strive is to endeavor, reach, or strain for something above or beyond. We strive for self-improvement, a better world, or success in general. The Old French origin of this word, estriver ("quarrel," "dispute"), had its 800th birthday not too long ago. Though it shares its roots with strife ("conflict"), it changed over the years (centuries, actually) to describe something more like a conflict with oneself, the attempt to overcome limitations and stay focused on a goal, regardless of whatever quarrels or disputes come up.
Vocabulary lists containing strive
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
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"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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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:
They held that the highest and most noble aspiration in life was to surpass all others, to strive to be the best in all things.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
So whether they end it with you or vice versa, that’s an outcome that you should actually strive for if the person isn’t a good fit.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
He accused both companies of "gambling with our lives" as they strive to develop AI models capable of self-improvement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Perlis, an artist, radio host and Marin native, doesn’t strive for sociological or demographic explanations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
There is a difference between people who strive and those who merely work hard.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Being a top-notched defender is what James strives to be for the Lakers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Though “One Man In” strives for drama, its greatest rewards may not be what the author intended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Those who know him well - or covered his playing career for many years - will describe him as a curious person who strives to do everything to the best of his ability.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
"We will also have to close some programmes," he added, saying "output with the highest audience value and impact" would be prioritised as the BBC strives to be "simpler and faster".
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Ironically, his struggle is the reverse of an actor’s struggle—he strives not to enter a part but to escape it.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
"Family, faith and doing good in the community where we live and work" have been key commitments that Parton and her partners have strived for over the past four decades, he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
For over three years, Jared Kushner has strived to build a set of luxury hotels and resorts in a corner of Eastern Europe that U.S. investors typically overlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
"Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority," Tarar said.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Gellar also praised their fans for allowing them to enjoy a very private life at home with their children, noting that they have always strived to keep their more intimate family life behind closed doors.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
She considered herself a passionate observer who strived to understand the wonders God had created.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
A headline in the Los Angeles Times strove to be diplomatic—or at least deliver the shiv elegantly: “Paramount settlement is less than desired, more than nothing.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
SKW posted losses three years in a row as the country strove to wean itself off cheap Russian energy supplies.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
Silverblatt said he strove to read an author’s entire body of work, but he never claimed to have read it all if he hadn’t.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026
There were some carers who strove to make the lives of residents better and who managed to carve out time in their busy days to engage but those moments were few and far between.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025
Unlike academically oriented research organizations, the NACAs laboratories always strove to live up to the “practical solutions” of their founding mission.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
He has striven to place Cohere as a sovereign alternative in both the European and Asian markets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Good fellowship was, if not assumed, then striven for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Emily — brash, naïve, and clad in metallic blue knee-high boots — held up an uncomfortable mirror of everything she had striven not to be.
From New York Times ● Jan. 20, 2023
“Country music has always striven to appear as a nice person,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2022
Whereas Sirius had sought to advertise his difference from the rest of the family, Regulus had striven to emphasize the opposite.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
However, Guest warns striving for a sculpted stomach could "feed into people's insecurities".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
It is striving to begin delivering vehicles to European customers by the end of 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
“I think that a lifetime of perfectionism and striving and sort of putting my mission and my work over my health just hit a wall,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Millennial television’s leads are also constantly striving to hit adult milestones, established either by their elders or their own anxious minds.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Boethius will show you that striving is ultimately meaningless, that we must learn to accept. Ask Miss O’Hara about him.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
