struggle

verb

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strug·gle | \ ˈstrə-gəl

struggled; struggling\ ˈstrə-g(ə-)liŋ

Definition of struggle

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

struggle

noun

Definition of struggle (Entry 2 of 2)

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 sense 1 during the struggle the gun went off

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Synonyms for struggle

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: 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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Coaches sometimes struggle to field enough players for a game or even practice and scheduling is always fluid. — Dennis Victory, al, "See the top storylines for high school softball season," 11 Feb. 2021 Temperatures will struggle to break 32 degrees Monday, coupled with a 60 percent chance of precipitation. — Jay R. Jordan, Chron, "National Weather Service: 'Increased confidence' for Houston's snow chances this weekend," 10 Feb. 2021 Even a prize-winning pinball wizard may struggle to win when matched against someone who tilts the table. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, "Horoscope for Feb. 7, 2021: Leo, offer sympathy when needed; Capricorn, manage time wisely," 7 Feb. 2021 But without new housing increasing the number of customers for stores and restaurants, the retail element could struggle. — Shwanika Narayan, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bay Area's malls-to-housing dreams held up by pandemic," 7 Feb. 2021 By the end of the week, highs will struggle to get out of the 30s across Dallas-Fort Worth, with lows in the 20s, according to NBC5. — Dallas News, "Dallas-Fort Worth expected to approach 70s then plunge to ‘the coldest air of the season’," 6 Feb. 2021 Energy demand for transportation will struggle to return to its previous heights because of continued restrictions on travel and people working from home during the pandemic. — Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, "Daily on Energy: Smith lobbies for aggressive strategy to pass Biden 2035 climate target in split Senate," 4 Feb. 2021 After Thursday, temperatures will struggle to reach the 30s again, with lows reaching the single-digits through the weekend and into the coming week in southeast Michigan. — Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press, "Arctic air bringing temperatures into single digits across Michigan," 4 Feb. 2021 Until that happens, individual students lost in a large group of classmates will struggle to learn those skills in the primary grades. — Star Tribune, "Readers Write: Impeachment trial, fixing education, COVID vaccines," 4 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun This breach of filmmaking integrity would be outrageous if Millennial audiences even knew that this awesome documentary overview of the civil-rights struggle existed (it’s been substituted by propaganda-worshiping James Baldwin and John Lewis). — Armond White, National Review, "Judas and the Black Messiah," 12 Feb. 2021 Jarris has been on the frontlines of the seafood industry struggle to secure a high priority for workers in the line-up for vaccines. — Hal Bernton, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska now to offer vaccines to non-resident seafood industry workers buffeted by COVID-19 outbreaks," 11 Feb. 2021 Michael Doyle Graves directs with assistance from Anysia Genre the heart-wrenching story of a mother's struggle to hold on to her equally struggling children. — Sheila D. Grissett, NOLA.com, "Stream some LPO strings, rock 'n roll with Elvis," 1 Feb. 2021 The experts concluded there was no evidence of a titanic struggle that would have ensued had Jimenez tried to forcefully choke the boy. — Chuck Lindell, San Antonio Express-News, "'Case is a tragedy' - After 16 years behind bars, babysitter convicted of killing child released in San Antonio," 28 Jan. 2021 Teague’s essay was a stark look at the physical indignities and emotional drain of the two-year struggle, but also a tribute to Dane Faucheux, a friend who basically put his life on hold to help. — al, "‘Our Friend’ star Jason Segel praises ‘amazing little town’ in Alabama," 20 Jan. 2021 But his ascension sent an equally alarming signal of the ongoing cultural struggle for women in baseball. — New York Times, "Baseball’s Harassment Issues Extend Far Beyond Jared Porter," 19 Jan. 2021 The tendency to remember the civil rights movement in this almost mythic fashion, however, stands in stark contrast to the true history of the freedom struggle as it was perceived by the nation at the time. — Smithsonian Magazine, "A New Film Details the FBI’s Relentless Pursuit of Dr. Martin Luther King," 16 Jan. 2021 As summer turned to fall last year, Alaska Air Group’s struggle to cope with the COVID-19 air travel downturn seemed to have turned a corner — until November’s wave of new coronavirus infections and business restrictions hit. — Author: Dominic Gates, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska Air Group reports $1.3 billion loss in 2020 but forecasts strong recovery this year," 27 Jan. 2021

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.

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Dictionary Entries near struggle

struggle for existence

struggle on

Struldbrug

Statistics for struggle

Last Updated

18 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Struggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/struggle. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for struggle

struggle

verb

English 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

noun

English 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

verb

strug·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

noun

Kids 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

2 : fight entry 2 sense 1, contest

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