struggle

verb strug·gle \ ˈstrə-gəl \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of struggle

struggled; struggling play \ˈstrə-g(ə-)liŋ\

intransitive verb

1 : to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition

struggling with the problem

2 : to proceed with difficulty or with great effort

struggled through the high grass

struggling to make a living

—

struggler

play \ˈstrə-g(ə-)lər\ noun

See struggle defined for English-language learners

See struggle defined for kids

Examples of struggle in a Sentence

He has been struggling with the problem of how to keep good workers from leaving.
They struggled for the right to vote.
She struggled up the hill through the snow.
She struggled to lift the package by herself, but it was too heavy.
He struggled to get free of the wreckage.
He's been struggling in math class for most of the year.
The team has continued to struggle in recent weeks.
He was living as a struggling artist in the city.

Recent Examples of struggle from the Web

Garrett struggled with various injuries last season but still managed seven sacks, nearly double that of any other member of Cleveland's defense.

— scott patsko, cleveland.com, "NFL Mock Draft 2018 roundup: Sam Darnold, Saquon Barkley remain popular, but Browns trades still in play," 9 Apr. 2018
Meanwhile, Trump struggled against Clinton (and didn't outperform Romney) in areas with higher than average news subscribers.

— luke darby, GQ, "Trump Has the Most Success Wherever People Read the Least News," 9 Apr. 2018
The follow-up: MSU lost just two of its top nine scorers (Goran Suton, Travis Walton) to graduation but still struggled during the season, earning a No. 5 seed.

— ryan ford, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan's odds of a 2019 NCAA tourney run good, recent history says," 9 Apr. 2018
The offensive line, however, struggled, making for a rough day for the quarterbacks.

— jordan mcpherson, miamiherald, "How the Miami Heat can clear up its playoff picture in its final two games | Miami Herald," 9 Apr. 2018
Yet the defense struggled with different cast members, and the Rangers never matched the success forged during Vigneault’s first two seasons.

— allan kreda, New York Times, "With Alain Vigneault Out, Rangers Have Yet Another Position to Fill," 8 Apr. 2018
While Paul is content struggling, his friends go behind his back and use his family name as collateral to fund their drug habit.

— julie miller, HWD, "Did Paul Getty Help Stage His Kidnapping, as Trust Suggests?," 8 Apr. 2018
La Cañada struggled during a very competitive nonleague schedule in finishing 3-5 against seven teams ranked in Division I or Division II of the Southern Section or San Diego Section.

— andrew j. campa, latimes.com, "All-Area Girls’ Water Polo Player of the Year: Growth, success key big season for Stern," 8 Apr. 2018
Instead, the two inexperienced quarterbacks struggled Saturday afternoon in Jordan-Hare Stadium as Auburn's defense dominated the scrimmage in front of 28,033 fans.

— matt zenitz, AL.com, "Alabama splits doubleheader with Missouri," 8 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'struggle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of struggle

Middle English struglen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

struggle Synonyms

Synonyms

bang away, dig (away), drudge, endeavor, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slave, slog, strain, strive, sweat, toil, travail, tug, work;

Near Antonyms

break, ease (up), let up, slacken;

bum, chill, dally, dillydally, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out;

bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind;

dabble, doodle, fool around, goof (around), hang, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle;

attack, drive;

essay, try;

exercise, exert, overexert, overwork;

eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch;

trudge, wade;

Phrases

sweat blood;

struggle

noun

Definition of struggle

1 : contest, strife

armed struggle

a power struggle

2 : a violent effort or exertion : an act of strongly motivated striving

a struggle to make ends meet

3 : tussle 1

during the struggle the gun went off

See struggle defined for English-language learners

Examples of struggle in a Sentence

the struggle for civil rights
There was a struggle for the gun.
There was no sign of a struggle.
It was a struggle getting out of bed this morning.

Recent Examples of struggle from the Web

After long struggle and many setbacks, my therapist slowly got me to put aside my mask.

— keith gessen, The New Yorker, "The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma," 10 Apr. 2018
In Europe, Facebook only acted when governmental pressure became to risky to ignore — following a political and legal struggle that dragged on for years.

— rick noack, Washington Post, "Could European privacy rules save Facebook’s Zuckerberg from a Senate grilling?," 10 Apr. 2018
The suspect, a 26-year-old woman, was arrested without a struggle.

— david hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Kidnapped siblings, stolen car located at U.S-Mexico border," 9 Apr. 2018
Hamas’s new chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, also thinks a popular struggle will boost his chances in the battle to become the Palestinians’ next leader, once the ailing, unpopular Mahmoud Abbas leaves the stage.

— The Economist, "The Palestinians in Gaza are once more bidding to burst out," 5 Apr. 2018
Two officers arrived, found 37-year-old Alton Sterling selling CDs outside, and shot and killed him after a brief struggle during a 90-second encounter.

— matt ford, The New Republic, "A New Law to Reduce Deadly Police Shootings," 5 Apr. 2018
This year's survey indicated that 42 percent of community college students indicated a struggle to get adequate amounts of food.

— elly belle, Teen Vogue, "A Third of College Students Face Food and Housing Insecurity," 5 Apr. 2018
Police tracked Phillips to Hartford, where Manchester and Hartford officers arrested him after a struggle, the report says.

— jesse leavenworth, courant.com, "Police: Manchester Man Beat Woman, Fled With Baby, Fought With Officers," 4 Apr. 2018
In the pilot episode, the Robinsons’ ship crash-lands into a frozen lake and sinks, but after some struggle over who will dive after it, the family quickly retrieves it.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "Netflix’s Lost in Space undermines a strong premise with dumb characters," 3 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of struggle

1560

struggle Synonyms

STRUGGLE Defined for English Language Learners

struggle

verb

Definition of struggle for English Language Learners

: to try very hard to do, achieve, or deal with something that is difficult or that causes problems
: to move with difficulty or with great effort
: to try to move yourself, an object, etc., by making a lot of effort

struggle

noun

Definition of struggle for English Language Learners

: a long effort to do, achieve, or deal with something that is difficult or that causes problems
: a physical fight between usually two people
: something that is difficult to do or achieve