strive

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb strive differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of strive are attempt, endeavor, essay, and try. While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

continues to strive for peace

Where would attempt be a reasonable alternative to strive?

The words attempt and strive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

will attempt to photograph the rare bird

When is endeavor a more appropriate choice than strive?

Although the words endeavor and strive have much in common, endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

endeavored to find crash survivors in the mountains

When is it sensible to use essay instead of strive?

In some situations, the words essay and strive are roughly equivalent. However, essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

will essay a dramatic role for the first time

How do try and attempt relate to one another, in the sense of strive?

Try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

tried to determine which was the better procedure

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of strive The American Presidency Project diligently logs and, when transcripts are unavailable, provides video of public presidential messaging, striving to create as complete a record as possible for all curious viewers and readers. Shannon Bow O'Brien, The Conversation, 12 June 2025 In fact, Trump’s birthday blowout could be seen as a reboot of the entire post-Cold War ethos America has strived to convey for the last three decades—all over a parade coinciding with a domestic military crackdown. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Philip Elliott, Time, 11 June 2025 Production up and emissions down: That is what the oil and gas industry strives for. Edward Cross, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025 Senator Markey and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party have strived for ideological perfection, rather than working to find common ground within the party. Scott W. Lang, Boston Herald, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for strive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strive
Verb
  • O’Neal’s involvement in the FTX litigation generated headlines when process servers representing the investors struggled to track down the 7-foot-1, 325-pound very recognizable former NBA star.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 June 2025
  • Flummoxed in Congress, organizing back home The pushback to Trump has been slow in starting as congressional Democrats, outnumbered in both chambers, continue to struggle to devise the strongest message and most effective tactics to use against the Republican president.
    Susan Page, USA Today, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • The best idea for Harrison might be to keep the velocity up, and try to develop a bunch of okay secondary pitches.
    The Athletic MLB Staff, New York Times, 16 June 2025
  • The street where the missile landed was filled with bulldozers trying to clear the debris.
    Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • Haliburton was laboring, and the Pacers were working around it.
    Tony East, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • Indeed, where Webb got soft contact and quick outs, needing just 98 pitches to complete his seventh seven-inning outing of the season, Yamamoto labored through hitters’ counts and long at-bats, issuing a career-high five walks while finding the strike zone on just 56 of his 102 pitches.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025
Verb
  • Kenya's Faith Kipyegon attempted to become the first woman to run a mile in under 4 minutes yesterday, but her personal best came up short.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 June 2025
  • The camper attempted to scare off the bear by banging pots and pans and screaming at the bear.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • But without the compliance of countries that manufacture such things, including Japan and the Netherlands, U.S. restrictions won’t work.
    KORI SCHAKE, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • View gallery - 6 images For the last few years, Italian engineers have been working on a humanoid robot for emergency response applications.
    Paul Ridden June 24, New Atlas, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • Not surprisingly, Justice Jackson simply noted her dissent without endeavoring to explain it.
    The Editors, National Review, 20 May 2025
  • More than 6,000 brands have been rated so far, with staffers generally endeavoring to update scores every 12 to 18 months to judge progress (or backsliding, as the case may be).
    Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Strive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strive. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on strive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!