intransitive verb

1
: to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition
struggling with the problem
2
: to proceed with difficulty or with great effort
struggled through the high grass
struggling to make a living

struggle

2 of 2

noun

1
: contest, strife
armed struggle
a power struggle
2
: a violent effort or exertion : an act of strongly motivated striving
a struggle to make ends meet
3
: tussle sense 1
during the struggle the gun went off

Examples of struggle in a Sentence

Verb He has been struggling with the problem of how to keep good workers from leaving. They struggled for the right to vote. She struggled up the hill through the snow.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
But AmeriCorps officials have struggled in recent years to provide financial information to auditors and have acknowledged the need for reforms. Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 23 July 2025 The party of the president usually struggles in a midterm election like next year's race to replace Peters. M.l. Elrick, Freep.com, 23 July 2025
Noun
Javier Hernandez, executive director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, told The Associated Press that agents eventually arrested the Honduran man following the struggle inside the clinic that was captured on video. Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025 Franklin might be the most recent honoree (beating out Curt Cignetti), but the Penn State coach’s struggles with self-editing are not specific to his dealings with Notre Dame. Pete Sampson, New York Times, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for struggle

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English struglen

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of struggle was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Struggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/struggle. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

struggle

1 of 2 verb
1
: to make a great effort to overcome someone or something : strive
struggling with the problem
2
: to proceed with difficulty or with great effort
struggled through the snow

struggle

2 of 2 noun
1
: fight entry 2 sense 1a, contest
a power struggle
2
: a violent or strenuous effort or exertion
a struggle to make ends meet

More from Merriam-Webster on struggle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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