struggle

Pronunciation

• (UK) (US) IPA ^(key): /ˈstrʌɡəl/ or [ˈstrʌɡl̩]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: strug‧gle

Verb

Plain form struggle

Third-person singular struggles

Past tense struggled

Past participle struggled

Present participle struggling

1. (intransitive) If you struggle to do something difficult, you work very hard to do it.

   They struggled to survive in New York City on $25,000 a year.

   She struggled to her feet after being hit by the bicycle.

   The company is struggling to maintain the same level of profits.

   She wrote about struggling to balance motherhood, work and love.

   The fishermen struggled against the powerful winds and high waves that had come in with a late-night storm.

Synonyms

• try
• fight
• resist
• kick

Noun

Singular struggle

Plural struggles

1. (countable) A struggle is a fight, often long and hard, or needing a lot of effort.

   As long as they are not willing to make peace, there will be armed struggle.

   Nature is really an ongoing struggle for survival.

   The fighting has been mainly a power struggle between these two groups.

   This has been part of life in Indonesia since its struggle against the Dutch for independence.

   They had become deeply involved in the people's struggle for freedom and democracy.

   They are already engaged in a power struggle for control of the post-American Iraq.

   The basis of most movies is a struggle between good guys and bad guys.

Synonyms

• work
• effort
• labor/labour
• battle
• fight