struggle
Other forms: struggling; struggled; struggles
Something that can only be accomplished with great effort is said to be a struggle. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader in the Civil Rights struggle. Alice Paul was a leader in the struggle for a woman's right to vote.
The verb form of struggle can be used for physical or mental effort. A police officer might struggle trying to detain a criminal or a student may struggle with a difficult algebra problem. If you scramble and climb awkwardly up something, you can also use the verb struggle to describe the action: "They struggled up the icy hill over and over again, so they could keep sledding."
Definitions of struggle
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strenuous effort“the struggle to get through the crowd exhausted her”
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types:
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grapple, grappling, hand-to-hand struggle, wrestle, wrestling
the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat
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type of:
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effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat, travail
use of physical or mental energy; hard work
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grapple, grappling, hand-to-hand struggle, wrestle, wrestling
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an energetic attempt to achieve something“getting through the crowd was a real struggle”
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synonyms:
battle
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an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)
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types:
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class struggle, class war, class warfare
conflict between social or economic classes (especially between the capitalist and proletariat classes)
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insurrection, rebellion, revolt, rising, uprising
organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one faction tries to wrest control from another
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counterinsurgency, pacification
actions taken by a government to defeat insurgency
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strife
bitter conflict; heated often violent dissension
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tug-of-war
any hard struggle between equally matched groups
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turf war
a bitter struggle for territory or power or control or rights
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combat, fight, fighting, scrap
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
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feud
a bitter quarrel between two parties
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war, warfare
an active struggle between competing entities
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conflagration
a violent clash or conflict
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gunfight, gunplay, shootout
a fight involving shooting small arms with the intent to kill or frighten
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brush, clash, encounter, skirmish
a minor short-term fight
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close-quarter fighting
hand-to-hand fighting at close quarters
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insurgence, insurgency
an organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a constituted government through the use of subversion and armed conflict
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intifada, intifadah
an uprising by Palestinian Arabs (in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank) against Israel in the late 1980s and again in 2000
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mutiny
open rebellion against constituted authority (especially by seamen or soldiers against their officers)
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dogfight
a violent fight between dogs (sometimes organized illegally for entertainment and gambling)
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countercurrent, crosscurrent
actions counter to the main group activity
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discord, discordance
strife resulting from a lack of agreement
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fencing
the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils or epees or sabres to score points under a set of rules)
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faction, in-fighting
conflict between members of the same organization (usually concealed from outsiders)
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set-to
a brief but vigorous fight
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impact, shock
the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering into combat
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dogfight, hassle, rough-and-tumble, scuffle, tussle
disorderly fighting
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affaire d'honneur, duel
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
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fistfight, fisticuffs, slugfest
a fight with bare fists
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banging, battering
the act of subjecting to strong attack
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beating, whipping
the act of overcoming or outdoing
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affray, disturbance, fray, ruffle
a noisy fight
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brawl, free-for-all
a noisy fight in a crowd
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cut-and-thrust, knife fight, snickersnee
fighting with knives
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gang fight, rumble
a fight between rival gangs of adolescents
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single combat
a fight between two people
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drug war
conflict between law enforcement and those who deal in illegal drugs
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trench warfare
a struggle (usually prolonged) between competing entities in which neither side is able to win
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blood feud, vendetta
a feud in which members of the opposing parties murder each other
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type of:
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group action
action taken by a group of people
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make a strenuous or labored effort“She struggled for years to survive without welfare”
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synonyms:
fight
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exert strenuous effort against opposition
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be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
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types:
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bear down
exert full strength
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fistfight
fight with the fists
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join battle
engage in a conflict
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tug
struggle in opposition
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defend, fight, fight back, fight down, oppose
fight against or resist strongly
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get back, settle
get one's revenge for a wrong or an injury
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fight back
defend oneself
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battle, combat
battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
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war
make or wage war
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assail, attack
launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
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duel
fight a duel, as over one's honor or a woman
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joust
joust against somebody in a tournament by fighting on horseback
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chicken-fight, chickenfight
fight while sitting on somebody's shoulders
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tourney
engage in a tourney
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feud
carry out a feud
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skirmish
engage in a skirmish
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bandy
exchange blows
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fence
fight with sword-like foils
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box
engage in a boxing match
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spar
fight with spurs
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scuffle, tussle
fight or struggle in a confused way at close quarters
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wrestle
engage in a wrestling match
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engage, wage
carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns)
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recalcitrate
show strong objection or repugnance; manifest vigorous opposition or resistance; be obstinately disobedient
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dogfight
engage in an aerial battle with another fighter plane
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wrestle
combat to overcome an opposing tendency or force
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blitzkrieg
fight a quick and surprising war
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go to war, take arms, take up arms
commence hostilities
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fend, resist, stand
withstand the force of something
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hold out, resist, stand firm, withstand
stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something
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submarine
attack by submarine
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pelt, pepper
attack and bombard with or as if with missiles
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tilt
charge with a tilt
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hit, strike
make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target
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counterattack, counterstrike
make a counterattack
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gas
attack with gas; subject to gas fumes
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storm, surprise
attack by storm; attack suddenly
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blitz
attack suddenly and without warning
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invade, occupy
march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation
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beleaguer, besiege, circumvent, hem in, surround
surround so as to force to give up
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drive back, fight off, rebuff, repel, repulse
force or drive back
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bomb, bombard
throw bombs at or attack with bombs
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strafe
attack with machine guns or cannon fire from a low-flying plane
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cannonade
attack with cannons or artillery
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torpedo
attack or hit with torpedoes
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block, deflect, parry
impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball)
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spar
box lightly
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prizefight
box for a prize or money
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shadowbox
go through boxing motions without an opponent
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mud-wrestle, mudwrestle
wrestle in mud
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offer, provide, put up
mount or put up
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bust, raid
search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on
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climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
Pronunciation
US
/ˈstrəgəl/
UK
/ˈstrəgəl/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘struggle'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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