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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of struggled
The more epistemically rigorous elements in the coalition have struggled to make common cause with these lower-information voters.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Both struggled with foul trouble, and the Knicks outscored Philly 56-30 in the paint, yet the Sixers were still a few baskets away from evening the best-of-seven series.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 7 May 2026
Turner Advertising Company purchased channel 17 in Atlanta in 1970, regarded as an also-ran UHF outlet that struggled to compete with larger broadcasters on the VHF band.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Why robots struggled before this AI brain Robots have lacked usable training data for physical tasks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden struggled for Cleveland, combining to shoot only 44% from the field and turn the ball over 10 times.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 May 2026
Charging documents allege Haley used the money for personal purchases while the organization struggled to stay afloat.
—Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Further, Anthropic will be doubling five-hour usage limits for subscribers to its Pro and Max subscription plans, responding to a lot of user frustration as the company’s compute infrastructure has struggled to keep up with demand.
—ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
The auditors notably struggled to get details about recipients in France.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Both struggled with foul trouble, and the Knicks outscored Philly 56-30 in the paint, yet the Sixers were still a few baskets away from evening the best-of-seven series.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 7 May 2026
Turner Advertising Company purchased channel 17 in Atlanta in 1970, regarded as an also-ran UHF outlet that struggled to compete with larger broadcasters on the VHF band.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Why robots struggled before this AI brain Robots have lacked usable training data for physical tasks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden struggled for Cleveland, combining to shoot only 44% from the field and turn the ball over 10 times.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 May 2026
Charging documents allege Haley used the money for personal purchases while the organization struggled to stay afloat.
—Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Further, Anthropic will be doubling five-hour usage limits for subscribers to its Pro and Max subscription plans, responding to a lot of user frustration as the company’s compute infrastructure has struggled to keep up with demand.
—ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
The auditors notably struggled to get details about recipients in France.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggled
Verb
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With Colorado on the power play, the Avs icon lost the puck near the Minnesota blue line and stumbled while retreating.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
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But Musk stumbled at least seven times in ways that possibly put his chances at winning in jeopardy.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cade Cavalli, who struck out 10 in each of his previous two starts, labored his way through four innings, and the offense failed to convert on early opportunities.—
Danielle Allentuck,
Washington Post,
6 May 2026
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In Qatar, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi factory worker labored through 12-hour shifts as missiles flew overhead.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Snell worked around Kim’s throwing error in the third to pitch a scoreless third and his day was done after 77 pitches.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
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After his playing days were over, Kerr worked as a basketball analyst for TNT, then was an executive with the Suns from 2007-10.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Johnson for months endeavored to appoint his ally ex-Ald.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
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Along the way, Pollan endeavored to find answers to some of the most fundamental questions of existence, like why is there a subjective self at all?—
Nick Hilden,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Epstein’s cellmate told officers Epstein tried to hang himself.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
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Brown tried Jeremy Sochan for one minute at center.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Struggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggled. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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