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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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
Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
And as advanced economies struggle with aging grids, slow permitting, and regulatory congestion, India is positioning itself as the scaling ground where the next wave of AI infrastructure gets built.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
Many pets struggle when left alone for long hours.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for struggle
Verb
Right now, Woll seems to be struggling to see the shots in front of him.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
And as advanced economies struggle with aging grids, slow permitting, and regulatory congestion, India is positioning itself as the scaling ground where the next wave of AI infrastructure gets built.
—Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
Aries' biggest struggle in 2026 Your greatest challenge this year is learning restraint and discipline without losing your cool.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
Many pets struggle when left alone for long hours.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for struggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggle
Verb
-
The sort of challenge that has caused United to stumble in recent times.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Stocks had stumbled there in prior days after MSCI, an influential company in the investment industry that creates stock and other indexes, warned about market risks such as a lack of transparency.—
Stan Choe,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Zelenskyy is also striving to keep the world’s attention focused on Ukraine despite other conflicts.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Fortune,
22 Jan. 2026
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Zelensky is also striving to keep the world’s attention focused on Ukraine despite other conflicts.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Joining George in his fight to stop the slasher are a particularly suspicious student (Ian Sera) and a famous tennis pro (Lynda Day George) who, bored with the celebrity touring circuit, decides to join up as an undercover detective.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
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Some Republicans are frustrated with the deal, raising the possibility of a prolonged shutdown fight when the House returns Monday to vote on the funding package.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In a city where detentions have largely played out on the streets, Homan’s comments have highlighted a battle that has been unfolding in the background.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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The exercise of power, not surprisingly, contributed to the restlessness of a busy mind that waged battles against a committed opposition.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That sets Chavez and Crump up to be the future of this rivalry, which dates back to 1979.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This transformed a political rivalry into a blood feud.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Lahmeyer, the Oklahoma pastor, said pastors and Christian leaders often labor under the burden of expectations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
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The victims, all elementary school students, got into difficulty in a frozen pond in Bonham, a city about 60 miles northeast of Dallas, triggering a desperate effort by their mother and a neighbor to save them, FOX 4 reported.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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The project also reflects Beijing’s broader effort to anchor long-term energy security with low-carbon baseload power.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Tempers flared during a recent pair of NBA games, and both contests were marred by tense clashes between players.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Having beaten Rybakina from a similar situation in the 2023 title clash, Sabalenka unleashed a flurry of winners to go ahead 3-0, but the Kazakh erased the deficit and broke for 4-3 before securing the victory to add to her 2022 Wimbledon triumph.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Struggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggle. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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