struggled
struggled — noun
1. a task or situation so hard that it drains all your energy just to get through i
a task or situation so hard that it drains all your energy just to get through it
Climbing that steep mountain was a real struggle for Kwame and his friends.
collocation: a real struggle
For Mei-Ling, learning to read French proved a long struggle during her year in Paris.
The struggle of raising three young children alone left Amara exhausted every night.
Getting Uncle Kenji's old Toyota to start on frosty January mornings was always a struggle.
collocation: always a struggle
Passing the chemistry final exam felt like a struggle that would never end for Dmitri.
- real struggle
- long struggle
- daily struggle
- uphill struggle
- breeze
informal: something that is very easy to do
Usage Note
Often used with adjectives like 'real', 'long', 'daily', or 'constant' to describe how hard something is.
2. a determined, ongoing effort to reach a goal, especially when obstacles push bac
a determined, ongoing effort to reach a goal, especially when obstacles push back
Fatima's struggle to finish the marathon moved everyone watching at the finish line.
pattern: struggle + to-infinitive (noun sense)
After months of struggle, Javier finally opened his own small bakery in town.
The women's football team's struggle for equal pay gained support from fans across the country.
pattern: struggle + for + goal
Rashid's long struggle to quit smoking ended when his daughter was born.
The struggle for clean water became the hillside village's most important shared goal.
- long struggle
- bitter struggle
- heroic struggle
- determined struggle
Usage Note
Often modified by adjectives describing intensity: 'heroic', 'bitter', 'determined'. Followed by to-infinitive or 'for' + goal.
3. a fight between people, either with their bodies or as a clash of ideas and feel
a fight between people, either with their bodies or as a clash of ideas and feelings
A brief struggle broke out between the two drivers after the car accident.
collocation: a brief struggle
The police officer was hurt during a struggle outside the train station.
Yara's inner struggle with guilt over the missed deadline kept her awake long past midnight.
collocation: inner struggle (mental, not physical)
The thief gave up after a short struggle with the store's security guard.
Ingrid watched the struggle between her two brothers and called for help.
- brief struggle
- violent struggle
- inner struggle
- desperate struggle
Usage Note
Can refer to physical fighting or inner mental conflict. Common adjectives: 'brief', 'violent', 'inner', 'desperate'.
struggled — verb
- struggledpresent simple I / you / we / they
- struggleds3rd person singular
- struggleding-ing form
- strugglededpast simple
1. to try very hard to do something that is extremely difficult, giving all your st
to try very hard to do something that is extremely difficult, giving all your strength to the task itself
Oluwaseun struggled to carry the heavy box up three flights of stairs.
pattern: struggle + to-infinitive
Amara struggled with maths all through school, but she never stopped trying.
pattern: struggle + with + noun (a subject or difficulty)
The small boat struggled against the strong wind as the storm grew closer.
Hiroshi struggled to explain his design idea clearly to the rest of the engineering team.
pattern: struggle + to-infinitive (mental effort)
The family-run bakery on Oak Street has struggled to stay open since the supermarket arrived last November.
- struggle hard
- struggle desperately
- struggle to cope
- coast
to go through something easily, without real effort
Grammar Patterns
struggle + to-infinitive
struggle + with + noun
Usage Note
The most common sense. Always intransitive — use 'struggle + to-infinitive' or 'struggle + with + noun'. Never take a direct object. Structural test: the difficulty comes from the task itself; there is no opponent to fight or prize to compete for. If you could add 'against an opponent' or 'for a prize' without changing the core meaning, you want sense 5 (STRIVE AGAINST) instead.
Common Mistakes
2. to push or drag your body forward when moving is hard, taking each step with dif
to push or drag your body forward when moving is hard, taking each step with difficulty
Dmitri struggled through the deep snow to reach the cabin before nightfall.
pattern: struggle + through + place
The old horse struggled up the rocky path with its heavy load.
Mei-Ling struggled to her feet after sitting on the floor for two hours.
pattern: struggle + to + body position (e.g. to her feet)
Svetlana struggled out of the narrow cave opening, her knees scraped and bleeding.
The rescue workers struggled through the rubble, looking for anyone still alive.
- struggle through
- struggle up
- struggle out of
- struggle forward
- glide
move smoothly and easily without effort
Grammar Patterns
struggle + adverb/preposition of direction
Usage Note
Common in narrative. The place or direction always appears after the verb: struggle through, struggle up, struggle out of, struggle to one's feet.
3. to be close to losing, breaking down, or falling apart because things are going
to be close to losing, breaking down, or falling apart because things are going badly
Kwame's small bookshop has been struggling since people started buying books online.
pattern: progressive form 'has been struggling' for ongoing difficulty
The rugby team struggled badly in the first half but came back strong after the break.
Without enough rain, the farmers struggled to keep their crops alive all summer.
Rashid's restaurant struggled for a year before it finally started making money.
Professor Chen's old computer struggled to run the new software and kept shutting down.
pattern: struggle + to-infinitive (thing, not person, as subject)
- struggle financially
- struggle to survive
- struggle to stay afloat
- thrive
grow strongly and do very well
Grammar Patterns
struggle + to-infinitive
Usage Note
Often appears in progressive form (is/are struggling). Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is on danger of failure, not on the effort itself.
Common Mistakes
4. to fight someone using your body, grabbing and hitting to gain control or get fr
to fight someone using your body, grabbing and hitting to gain control or get free
Two boys struggled on the playground until a teacher ran over to break it up.
The cat struggled in Fatima's arms as she tried to put it into the carrier.
pattern: struggle + in + possessive + arms
Javier struggled with the thief who tried to steal his bag on the bus.
pattern: struggle + with + person
The children struggled over the last slice of cake at the birthday party.
Yara struggled to free herself from the wooden chair, but the ropes around her wrists were too tight.
pattern: struggle + to-infinitive (to escape)
- struggle violently
- struggle desperately
Grammar Patterns
struggle + with + person
Usage Note
Always intransitive — say 'struggle with someone', never 'struggle someone'. Distinguish from sense 1: this is physical fighting, not hard work.
Common Mistakes
5. to fight or compete against someone or something, putting steady effort into win
to fight or compete against someone or something, putting steady effort into winning, stopping something bad, or gaining a desired goal
Ingrid has struggled against unfair rules at her workplace for over three years.
pattern: struggle + against + noun (opposing something)
The two candidates struggled for control of the party during a heated election.
pattern: struggle + for + noun (fighting to get something)
Local people struggled to stop the factory from dumping waste into the river.
Nurses struggled for better pay and safer working conditions at the city hospital.
Hiroshi struggled to overcome his fear of speaking in front of large crowds at the annual company meeting.
pattern: struggle + to-infinitive (personal goal)
- struggle against injustice
- struggle for freedom
- struggle for power
- yield
give in without fighting back
Grammar Patterns
struggle + against + noun
struggle + for + noun
Usage Note
This sense always involves an external opponent, competing force, or prize — not just a difficult task. Structural test: you must be able to name what you are fighting against or for. Use 'struggle + against + opponent/force' or 'struggle + for + prize/goal'. Distinguish from sense 1 (TRY HARD): that sense focuses on the difficulty of the task itself ('struggle to lift the box'), not on an opponent or prize.
Word family
- struggleverbB1
- strugglenounB2
- strugglingadjectiveB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Struggle is the broadest of these words, covering any difficult effort — physical, mental, or emotional. Strive suggests a focused, long-term ambition, often with a moral or idealistic colour ('strive for justice'). Endeavour is formal and implies a careful, planned attempt ('endeavour to finish the report on time'). Grapple keeps the physical-origin feel of struggle and is typically used for wrestling with abstract problems ('grapple with a difficult decision'). Toil emphasises prolonged, exhausting labour with little relief ('toil in the fields from dawn to dusk'). A student might struggle with a maths problem for an hour, but a scholar strives for a breakthrough over years; a factory worker toils on an assembly line while a manager endeavours to meet a quarterly target.
Common collocations
Adverbs
Phrases
- struggle to cope
- struggle to make ends meet
Etymology
Struggled is the past tense of struggle. The word comes from Middle English struglen, which may trace back to a Scandinavian source — compare Norwegian strugla ('to struggle, to toil'). It entered English around the 14th century with the core meaning of wrestling or fighting physically. By the 16th century it had broadened to include any kind of difficult effort, hardship, or striving against odds.
First known use
14th century
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun