as in struggling
to devote serious and sustained effort
the writer pegged away at his first novel for three years before he felt that it was ready to be published
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pegging (away)
Verb
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Even as Sand downplays party politics, Democrats are putting faith in him to blaze a trail in the state after struggling electorally in recent cycles.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026 -
But as the two collaborators went on to explain, a superhero buddy comedy about a struggling actor that’s as interested in the logistics of auditions as saving the universe is a tough sell for any brand.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Other roles soon came, including a recurring character on Marlo Thomas’ That Girl as the title character’s always striving agent Harvey Peck.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
-
But now, a new crew is striving to rework some of that Barneys magic.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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With evacuation shelters reaching capacity as more than 40,000 people were asked to leave their homes, officials laboring to prevent an explosion at a crippled chemical tank in Garden Grove reported tentative progress Sunday in ending the crisis.—
Deborah Netburn,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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Makar has played in every game this postseason, but was clearly laboring in Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Dabbing the cloth in rubbing alcohol, working away the dirty blots on the glass, waiting for the haze in my head to focus, and a new line to come to me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
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The unemployment rate among young people is about twice as high as the national average; and 40% of college grads who are working have taken jobs that don't require a college degree, like temporary or part-time gigs.—
David Pogue,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pegging (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pegging%20%28away%29. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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