1
as in to stumble
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
each week I would struggle through my piano lesson, keenly aware that I wasn't getting any better
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to strive
to devote serious and sustained effort
the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in fight
a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective
a performer's long struggle to achieve success
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2
as in battle
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
there was a struggle between the armed robber and the shopkeeper, and the gun went off
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
her staunchest supporters in her struggle for the office
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of struggle
Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
Sutter County supervisors this week approved pay raises and additional time-off benefits to entice and retain deputy district attorneys after losing prosecutors and struggling to hire new ones.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
In her memoir, Under Construction, Stause has written about her parents’ struggle with addiction; her father and mother both died from lung cancer in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
—Quispe López, Them., 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for struggle
Verb
Gurdip Singh, chief product officer at Blue Yonder, said the upgrades will unlock new capabilities for customers struggling against legacy technology that’s siloed.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
Sutter County supervisors this week approved pay raises and additional time-off benefits to entice and retain deputy district attorneys after losing prosecutors and struggling to hire new ones.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
These are the struggles that families go through all around the country everyday, mostly in silence.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
In her memoir, Under Construction, Stause has written about her parents’ struggle with addiction; her father and mother both died from lung cancer in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
—Quispe López, Them., 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for struggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggle
Verb
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Although the discovery has only now been formally studied, cavers from the Czech Speleological Society first stumbled upon the phenomenon in 2022 during an expedition in Vromoner Canyon.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Uber reported strong growth in its third-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, but stumbled on the bottom line after absorbing a $479 million charge for what the company described as undisclosed legal and regulatory matters.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Let’s strive for greater together.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The development comes as Netflix strives to become more competitive with its peers in the battle to win ad dollars from Madison Avenue.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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When police arrived, however, there was no sign of any fight or crime scene.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
In his eight wins, all eight have come inside the distance, with only two fights seeing a second round.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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History buffs should head to Saratoga National Historic Park, which was the site of two pivotal Revolutionary War battles.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
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What began as a grassroots open-records request has now branched into a multifront legal battle.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Elizabeth’s determination not to settle the succession gave rise to fierce rivalry between the claimants to the English throne, among them Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James VI; James’s cousin Arbella Stuart; Lady Katherine Grey and her descendants; and Henry Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Spurs were inept and disjointed on Saturday, losing 1-0 against Chelsea in a rivalry the club don’t tolerate losing easily.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That means that while some other federal workers have labored without pay for a month, CJA panel attorneys such as Foster and Binninger have worked without pay since before July 3, when the CJA funding officially expired.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Nov. 2025
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The Dodgers then knocked off the Giants in the NL Division Series, though Scherzer lost his Game 3 start – allowing three hits and a run on Evan Longoria’s game-deciding homer while laboring seven innings and 110 pitches.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That merely meant coach Brian Dutcher didn’t have to delicately parcel out playing time while massaging egos on his Mariana Trench-deep roster, and the bench shortened by circumstance delivered a 77-45 win powered by a pair of true freshmen and a typically frenetic defensive effort.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
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As companies pour trillions into transformation efforts, few see lasting results.—
Jana Werner,
Harvard Business Review,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Much of this strife, including throughout the 1967-1970 civil war and subsequent clashes over the decades, has also been closely tied to feuds across ethnic and territorial lines.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Pfizer and Novo Nordisk are in a takeover clash over the obesity biotech Metsera, with both pharmaceutical giants raising their bids for the startup as of Monday.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Bertha Coombs,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Struggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggle. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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