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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2
as in to strive
to devote serious and sustained effort
the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet
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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
Mary D. Kane, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2026
Brooklyn struggled to generate anything clean, coughed up seven turnovers that led to 14 Clippers points, and shot just 37% from the field and 25% from 3-point range in the first half.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
The conservative movement is going through some internal struggles, most notably because of the debate between the racists and the reasonable members of the GOP.
—Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for struggle
Verb
When businesses struggle, job creation slows.
—Noun
In his work and throughout his career, the rap star spoke unabashedly about his upbringing, his struggles with addiction, and most notably, his faith.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggle
Verb
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Government agencies and businesses that invest in this training, and that insist every critical number survives a deterministic check, will capture AI's benefits without stumbling into its blind spots.—
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Dodge, still suffering the consequences of axing the popular previous generations of Charger and Challenger muscle cars, saw sales stumble down 28% compared with the previous year.—
Verb
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Mike, played by a rangy, companionable Hugh Jackman, is a striving singer in Milwaukee who has battled the bottle, cannot consistently pay his mortgage, and keeps himself going by appearing at the state fair dressed up to look (and sound) like Don Ho.—
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Everybody loves putting on those Nora Efron classics, and the filmmakers here were striving to make something that was a modern answer to those that was in discussion with When Harry Met Sally and those greats.—
Noun
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Davisboro, Georgia Police Chief Leondus Dixon told CBS News a fight broke out among inmates during visitation hours at Washington State Prison in Davisboro.—
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Sheffey is jumping in the fight.—
Noun
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With a high-stakes battle for the 2026 midterms looming, the Evergreen State appears poised to join the trend of states using congressional redistricting for partisan advantage.—
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Rattler won the quarterback battle in training camp over Shough, but after going 1-7, Moore made the switch to his rookie.—
Noun
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Small and middle powers, particularly those from the Global South, are stepping into this breach and providing an essential public good that great powers, bound by their own rivalries, increasingly cannot.—
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And there is a friendly rivalry there.—
Verb
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Lahmeyer, the Oklahoma pastor, said pastors and Christian leaders often labor under the burden of expectations.—
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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.—
Noun
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Her defensive effort led to a transition 3-pointer for Maddie Scherr that electrified the home crowd for TCU.—
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There is currently no information about the containment efforts for the fire and its cause has yet to be determined.—
Noun
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The clashes have since descended into an all-out civil war, characterized by ethnic violence, attacks on civilians and atrocities committed by all sides, according to humanitarian groups and foreign governments.—
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Iranian state television aired images of clashes and fires, while the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several police officers were killed overnight, underscoring the increasingly violent nature of the confrontations.—
Cite this Entry
“Struggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggle. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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