1
as in stumbled
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in labored
to devote serious and sustained effort
the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet
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Recent Examples of struggled
Most notably, the Chargers struggled to contain Mahomes in the pocket.
—
Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Fighter jets have long struggled to integrate AI into radar systems due to limited space, power, and processing capacity.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
As Leipold alluded to, the Jayhawks’ defense struggled to get off the field against Missouri.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
The Bobcats went on the road Thursday night and struggled in the second half in a 38-21 loss against Lewisville at Max Goldsmith Stadium.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
While Gómez struggled, Yankees starter Carlos Rodón fared much better against his former team.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Compton and team analyzed data of over 2,500 people who had reported a history of substance abuse disorders and struggled to stay clean in the last four years.
—Anuradha Varanasi, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Salter and the Colorado offense struggled to find rhythm for much of the night.
—Shane Shoemaker, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
The Bears offense struggled under coordinator Shane Waldron, so he was fired.
—Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Fighter jets have long struggled to integrate AI into radar systems due to limited space, power, and processing capacity.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
As Leipold alluded to, the Jayhawks’ defense struggled to get off the field against Missouri.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
The Bobcats went on the road Thursday night and struggled in the second half in a 38-21 loss against Lewisville at Max Goldsmith Stadium.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
While Gómez struggled, Yankees starter Carlos Rodón fared much better against his former team.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Compton and team analyzed data of over 2,500 people who had reported a history of substance abuse disorders and struggled to stay clean in the last four years.
—Anuradha Varanasi, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Salter and the Colorado offense struggled to find rhythm for much of the night.
—Shane Shoemaker, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
The Bears offense struggled under coordinator Shane Waldron, so he was fired.
—Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggled
Verb
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And arguing with the benefits of a difficult tuneup game can be a useless point, especially as Napier stumbled in from a practice that ran almost 10 minutes long, gearing up for USF.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
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Closer Bryan Abreu stumbled but has earned the benefit of the doubt with the dominance he’s displayed.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some of the works would be labored over and over and over again.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
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But that’s not why Fastvold and Corbet — who as directors have now had two features each in competition in Venice — labored over the film.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Founded by Keith and Brooke Desserich who lost their 5-year-old daughter Elena to brain cancer, The Cure Starts Now first worked with Graeter's in 2007 to develop an ice cream flavor in honor of the couple's daughter, called Elena’s Blueberry Pie ice cream.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
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For approximately 25 years, Lee worked on international legal cases to combat injustice and promote human rights, achieving notable success in the high-level world of international courts.—
Ray Long,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Still, Mares-Sedillo went to work and tried to go about her day.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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Keough said her grandmother tried to settle Lisa Marie's estate less than 24 hours after her death in 2023.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Struggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggled. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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