verb (used without object), strove or strived, striv·en /ˈstrɪvən/Show Spelled[striv-uhn]Show IPAor strived, striv·ing.
1.
to exert oneself vigorously; try hard: He strove to make himself understood.
2.
to make strenuous efforts toward any goal: to strive for success.
3.
to contend in opposition, battle, or any conflict; compete.
4.
to struggle vigorously, as in opposition or resistance: to strive against fate.
5.
to rival; vie.
Origin: 1175–1225; Middle English striven < Old French estriver to quarrel, compete, strive < Germanic; compare obsolete Dutch strijven,German streben to strive
Related forms
striv·er, noun
striv·ing·ly, adverb
in·ter·strive, verb (used without object), -strove, -striv·en, -striv·ing.
out·strive, verb (used with object), -strove, -striv·en, -striv·ing.
o·ver·strive, verb (used without object), -strove, -striv·en, -striv·ing.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
c.1200, from O.Fr. estriver "to quarrel, dispute," from estrif, estrit "quarrel" (see strife). It became a strong verb (past tense strove) by rhyming association with drive, etc.