struggle 1 of 2

verb

ˈstrə-gəl How to pronounce struggle (audio)
Definition of strugglenext
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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2
as in to strive
to devote serious and sustained effort the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet

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struggle

2 of 2

noun

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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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

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 struggle
Verb
That changes Sunday when Grupe plays his first game for the struggling but still-plenty-of-upside Rams. — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 Understandably, Penn struggles to hold these disparate points of focus together with a performance that vacillates between disarmingly dopey and almost willfully ignorant of the realities of the 2000s media landscape. — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
Even if the United States changes course, American and alliedpolicymakers should prepare for a long struggle. — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026 Most parents have never watched a baby struggle through pertussis or rotavirus or seen a child hospitalized with complications of measles. — CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for struggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggle
  1. stumble
  2. strive
  3. fight
  4. battle
  5. rivalry
  6. labor
  7. effort
  8. clash
Verb
  • Resendiz finished strongly, sending Mazoudier stumbling backward in the final minute.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Munyon's Paw-Paw, an alcoholic beverage dating to the early 1900s, has been resurrected by two longtime spirits industry veterans who stumbled upon its unusual history during a family outing.
    — Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumble
Verb
  • Filmed largely on the doctors’ phones, the film offers an intimate account of the people striving to preserve life amid a devastating humanitarian crisis.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Are these trends in direct conversation with the rise in weight loss medications, as luxury customers strive to show off their new bodies?
    — Rachael Akhidenor, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of strive
Noun
  • Russia's heavy bombardment of the power grid ahead of winter has been an annual feature of the war, aimed at wearing down Ukraine's appetite for the fight by denying civilians heat and running water.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid ahead of winter has been an annual feature of the war, aimed at wearing down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight by denying civilians heat and running water.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of fight
Noun
  • Still, when the measles outbreak erupted, Bangladesh responded swiftly and initially seemed to be winning the battle.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Policy Policy Your guide to the Supreme Court, federal courts, judicial nominations, and the legal battles shaping American policy.
    — Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • The alleged rivalry between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle was seemingly dying down—but then Meghan and Prince Harry moved back to the UK.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The group will confront old tensions and determine if these chapters can finally be closed, or if some rivalries are simply too deep to leave in the past.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rivalry
Verb
  • Democratic politicians, bureaucrats and labor leaders, once rabble-rousers like Bass who nowadays seem to exist mostly to keep their sinecure, have labored mightily to convince unbelieving voters that Bass deserves another shot.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The circumstances of Saint Michael’s help while the pilgrim labored and delivered in the ocean were markedly different from those in the miracle ascribed to the Virgin.
    — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • The president talked up Jackson and Senate candidate Mike Collins as part of the White House effort to boost GOP enthusiasm in the upcoming elections.
    — DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Rowling has been staunchly critical of transgender rights activists, funding legal efforts to protect women’s rights and penning X/Twitter posts that are considered to be attacks by the trans community.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of effort
Noun
  • By Saturday, demonstrations over rising living costs, school conditions and declining public services had escalated into clashes with police, fires, looting and attacks on public buildings in several cities.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The decades-old rivalry has favored United in the last seven meetings at Elland Road, but Leeds head into Sunday's clash in strong form, with two wins and three draws placing them 7th on the table.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of clash

Browse Nearby Words

structuring
struggle
struggled
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Cite this Entry

“Struggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggle. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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