struggle
Use Struggle in a sentence
əl verb (used without object)
1.
to contend with an adversary or opposing force.
2.
to contend resolutely with a task, problem, etc.; strive: to struggle for existence.
3.
to advance with violent effort: to struggle through the snow.
4.
(of athletes and competitors) to be coping with inability to perform well or to win; contend with difficulty: After struggling for the whole month of June, he suddenly caught fire and raised his batting average 30 points.
verb (used with object)
5.
to bring, put, etc., by struggling: She struggled the heavy box into a corner.
6.
to make (one's way) with violent effort.
00:10
Struggle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
noun
7.
the process or an act or instance of struggling.
8.
a war, fight, conflict, or contest of any kind.
9.
a task or goal requiring much effort to accomplish or achieve.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English struglen, stroglen, frequentative v. (see -le) formed on a base of obscure origin
1350–1400; Middle English struglen, stroglen, frequentative v. (see -le) formed on a base of obscure origin
Related forms
strug·gler, noun
strug·gling·ly, adverb
pre·strug·gle, noun, verb (used without object), pre·strug·gled, pre·strug·gling.
un·strug·gling, adjective
Synonyms
1. oppose, contest, fight, conflict. 7. endeavor, exertion. 8. encounter, skirmish. Struggle, brush, clash refer to a hostile meeting of opposing persons, parties, or forces. Struggle implies vigorous bodily effort or violent exertion: a hand-to-hand struggle. A brush is a brief, but smart, and often casual combat: a brush between patrols. Clash implies a direct and sharp collision between opposing parties, efforts, interests, etc.: a clash of opinions.
1. oppose, contest, fight, conflict. 7. endeavor, exertion. 8. encounter, skirmish. Struggle, brush, clash refer to a hostile meeting of opposing persons, parties, or forces. Struggle implies vigorous bodily effort or violent exertion: a hand-to-hand struggle. A brush is a brief, but smart, and often casual combat: a brush between patrols. Clash implies a direct and sharp collision between opposing parties, efforts, interests, etc.: a clash of opinions.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To struggle
Collins
World English Dictionary
struggle (ˈstrʌɡəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr; |
| 2. | (intr) to move about strenuously so as to escape from something confining |
| 3. | (intr) to contend, battle, or fight |
| 4. | (intr) to go or progress with difficulty |
| —n | |
| 5. | a laboured or strenuous exertion or effort |
| 6. | a fight or battle |
| 7. | the act of struggling |
| 8. | (South African) the struggle the radical and armed opposition to apartheid, especially by the military wings of the ANC and the PAC |
| [C14: of obscure origin] | |
| 'struggler | |
| —n | |
| 'struggling | |
| —adj | |
| 'strugglingly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
struggle
late 14c., probably a frequentative form, of uncertain origin. Skeat suggests O.N. strugr "ill will;" others suggest a connection to Du. struikelen, Ger. straucheln "to stumble." The noun is first recorded 1690s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
She begins to struggle, kicking her legs, trying to fight to her feet-suddenly she's up.
The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.
As the weaker publications struggle, though, the strongest ones are expanding boldly into new platforms and products.
Each day, animals struggle to survive in their habitats.
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