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.
Thiroux said, “this is an orchestra that you were striving to get into and that you’re working toward, because you knew that it was a next step in whatever your career goals were.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2024
“When I started, we were striving to be marginal,” she said in a phone interview about the institution she has led since 1998.
From New York Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
“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
