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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of struggled
So far, though, the Swedish striker has struggled to consistently reach the level expected of him with Gabriel Jesus too injury-prone to be counted on over the course of a full season.
—
Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Multiple royal watchers have claimed the prince has struggled to move beyond the fallout of his dramatic exit from royal life six years ago, citing professional setbacks and lingering personal tensions.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Together, the cases highlight weaknesses in an industry that has long struggled to balance nutritional innovation with safety.
—Jillian Deutsch, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
The track of this system is not set in stone right now, and model data has really struggled to get a handle on it.
—Ron Smiley, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
The sprawling winter storm forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights, though Southwest’s Texas rival American Airlines has especially struggled to recover from the weather impacts.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
As a new widow and first-time mother, Persun struggled to keep posting the same type of content on her @BookswithBrielle pages on Instagram and TikTok.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
But the company also struggled to hit Wall Street’s expectations that month.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Arenas – a McDonald’s All-American and the son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas – was not a magic elixir, and the Trojans struggled to find another solution in a 74-68 loss to a Northwestern team that had been winless in conference play.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 22 Jan. 2026
Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Multiple royal watchers have claimed the prince has struggled to move beyond the fallout of his dramatic exit from royal life six years ago, citing professional setbacks and lingering personal tensions.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Together, the cases highlight weaknesses in an industry that has long struggled to balance nutritional innovation with safety.
—Jillian Deutsch, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
The track of this system is not set in stone right now, and model data has really struggled to get a handle on it.
—Ron Smiley, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
The sprawling winter storm forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights, though Southwest’s Texas rival American Airlines has especially struggled to recover from the weather impacts.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
As a new widow and first-time mother, Persun struggled to keep posting the same type of content on her @BookswithBrielle pages on Instagram and TikTok.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
But the company also struggled to hit Wall Street’s expectations that month.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Arenas – a McDonald’s All-American and the son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas – was not a magic elixir, and the Trojans struggled to find another solution in a 74-68 loss to a Northwestern team that had been winless in conference play.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggled
Verb
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Some customers have stumbled upon the bubble waffle shop while scrolling on their phones.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Even some of the most sophisticated left-leaning groups have stumbled.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The team labored in home losses to Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers, with Mahomes ultimately suffering a season-ending ACL injury in the fourth quarter of that setback against the Chargers.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The administration has labored to frame the use of the military in Venezuela as a law enforcement action, since Maduro had outstanding warrants for his arrest in the United States.—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Bulls called a timeout and worked the ball to Huerter, who nailed a 3 from the corner with less than a second remaining.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Older systems worked from rigid templates and failed when markets introduced exceptions.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
During his short time in office, Garfield endeavored to clean up the government.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Padilla endeavored to make his mark early.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The third witness to testify Wednesday was Juan Lopez Vega, deputy field office director of ICE's enforcement and removal operations in Miami, who unsuccessfully tried to quash a subpoena compelling him to show up in court.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Heather Myers, Founder and CEO of Spark no9, tried them all.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Struggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggled. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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