strug·gle | \ ˈstrə-gəl 
\
\struggled; struggling\ ˈstrə-g(ə-)liŋ \
\Definition of struggle
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
struggle
nounDefinition of struggle (Entry 2 of 2)
2 : a violent effort or exertion : an act of strongly motivated striving
a struggle to make ends meet
3 : tussle sense 1 during the struggle the gun went off
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Other Words from struggle
Verb
struggler \ ˈstrə-g(ə-)lər \ noun
\ noun
Examples of struggle in a Sentence
Verb
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. Noun
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Having the decency to care about those who struggle in this world.
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cleveland, "‘George Floyd’s death was the catalyst:’ Tri-C racial justice essay third-place winner Aparna Srikanth," 15 Jan. 2021 Those with lingering symptoms who still struggle to this day.
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Jess Elizarraras, Chron, "Guilt is the biggest side effect of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine," 11 Jan. 2021 Fathers who struggle emotionally after the birth of a child may be experiencing postpartum depression.
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Star Tribune, "Depression and new dads," 8 Jan. 2021 Novice walkers, who struggle to regain balance with nearly every step, can take up to 30 tumbles an hour.
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Tom Vanderbilt, WSJ, "For New Year’s Resolutions, Never Think You’re Too Old to Become a Beginner," 31 Dec. 2020 Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area has nine metro-area locations serving families who struggle with housing, food insecurity and limited access to child care.
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The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, "What it’s meant to local nonprofits to be part of the 2020 Season of Sharing campaign," 25 Dec. 2020 Perez treats many women who are worried about losing their homes or jobs during the pandemic, and who already struggle to access health care.
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Katharine Gammon, The Atlantic, "2020 Was a Terrible Year to Be Pregnant," 24 Dec. 2020 These alternative modalities of community are best suited for people who struggle to communicate or express themselves in words.
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Jessica Roy, Los Angeles Times, "What is therapy? A beginner’s guide to mental health," 23 Dec. 2020 People who struggle to support their basic needs—and those of their families—might feel a sense of fear and hopelessness.
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Joel Goldberg, Science | AAAS, "Video: Low-cost interventions could help combat the ‘psychological poverty trap’," 22 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Such trace fossils thus preserve evidence of an ancient struggle between uber-predator and prey, the researchers argue.
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Matt Simon, Wired, "Is This a Fossilized Lair of the Dreaded Bobbit Worm?," 21 Jan. 2021 Officials at Yuma Regional Medical Center say it's been a struggle to maintain staffing of 900 to 1,000 nurses while competing for medical workers in an overwhelmed national health care system.
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Anita Snow, The Arizona Republic, "Military nurses, COVID-19 tests coming to help hard-hit Yuma area," 19 Jan. 2021 One of DeRozan’s noblest goals as a role model is to remove the stigma from discussing struggle and pain.
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Mike Finger, ExpressNews.com, "Mike Finger: As Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan asks for space, a world can relate," 19 Jan. 2021 This is critical context for those who compare the current iteration of Black struggle to the civil-rights movement.
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Keeanga-yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker, "A Black Lives Matter Founder on Building Modern Movements," 18 Jan. 2021 Meanwhile, the Jazz’s role players were excellent, taking charge as Donovan Mitchell had a real struggle of a game.
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Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, "The Triple Team: Jazz’s role players lead the way in 5th straight victory as Nuggets miss 2nd half shots," 17 Jan. 2021 But so far, WandaVision is telling a story not about an epic struggle to save humanity, but about one woman’s efforts to save herself from her sadness.
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Shirley Li, The Atlantic, "The Real Villain of WandaVision," 16 Jan. 2021 The Opinion editor was given a daylong struggle-session before he was fired.
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Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "Our Tech Cosmopolitans’ Selective Outrage," 15 Jan. 2021 All well and good, though no guarantee that a film based on a celebrated literary tale of ambition and class struggle in a globalizing India would appeal to American audiences.
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Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "‘The White Tiger’ Review: Funny, Ferocious, Burning Bright," 14 Jan. 2021
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for struggle
struggle
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of struggle
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of struggle (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
See the full definition for struggle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
struggle
verbstrug·gle | \ ˈstrə-gəl \
\struggled; struggling
Kids Definition of struggle
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to make a great effort to do or achieve something or to overcome someone or something
I struggled with the burglar. We're struggling with money problems.
2 : to move with difficulty or with great effort
A woman struggled through the snow.
struggle
nounKids Definition of struggle (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : a difficult or violent effort
Though it was a struggle to lift my eyes, I did so.— Avi, Crispin
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Time Traveler for struggle
The first known use of struggle was in the 14th century
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