Meaning of struggle in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  3. Noun
    1. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈstrəɡəl/

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  1. Verb

    struggle

    Etymology

    late Middle English: frequentative, perhaps of imitative origin. The noun dates from the late 17th century

    Definitions

    1. make a strenuous or labored effort

    Examples

    • « She struggled for years to survive without welfare »
    • « He fought for breath »

    Derived terms

  2. 2. to exert strenuous effort against opposition

    Examples

    • « he struggled to get free from the rope »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling

    Derived terms

  4. 4. be engaged in a fight

    Examples

    • « carry on a fight »
    • « the tribesmen fought each other »
    • « Siblings are always fighting »

    Derived terms

  5. Noun

    struggle

    Definitions

    1. an energetic attempt to achieve something

    Examples

    • « getting through the crowd was a real struggle »
    • « he fought a battle for recognition »

    Derived terms

  6. 2. an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)

    Examples

    • « the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph--Thomas Paine »
    • « police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs »

    Derived terms

  7. 3. strenuous effort

    Examples

    • « the struggle to get through the crowd exhausted her »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « The best thing that ever happened to me is that nothing happened in writing. I ended up working for engineering companies, and that's where I found my material, in the everyday struggle between capitalism and grace. Being broke and tired, you don't come home your best self. »
    George Saunders
  • « You ask any moviemaker what their favorite movie experience was, and they'll say it was one of the first ones, where everyone had to pitch in and do everything together, and you had to struggle. »
    Robert Rodriguez
  • « The struggle of my life created empathy - I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me. »
    Oprah Winfrey
  • « The future is hidden by a dark impenetrable veil, and yet we struggle to pierce through it. »
    Joseph Barber Lightfoot
  • « Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth. »
    Swami Vivekananda

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