strive
verb (used without object)
to exert oneself vigorously; try hard.
were striving
-
past progressiveof strive.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Because that was our intention and that was what we were striving for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025
Four hundred miles south of us, in New York, Ray Francis was printing shots that had the bold shadows we were striving for.
From New York Times ● Feb. 22, 2024
“Neither side in the war materially echoed China’s initiative, which fell far short of what they were striving for,” said Shi.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
As the Griffiths and the Stanton-Davies families were striving to bring rigorous external scrutiny to the Shrewsbury and Telford trust, inside the organisation Bernie Bentick was also agitating for change.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2022
I felt myself struggling to awake to some call of my instincts; nay, my very soul was struggling, and my half-remembered sensibilities were striving to answer the call.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
