Dictionary

struggle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• [ˈstɹʌɡl̩] (UK, US)
• /ˈstɹʌɡəl/ (UK, US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English struglen, stroglen, strogelen, of obscure origin; perhaps from a variant of *strokelen, *stroukelen (> English stroll), from Middle Dutch struyckelen ("to stumble, trip, falter"; > Modern Dutch struikelen), the frequentative form of Old Dutch *strūkon (“to stumble”), from Proto-Germanic *strūkōną, *strūkēną (“to be stiff”), from Proto-Indo-European *strug-, *ster- (“to be stiff; to bristle, strut, stumble, fall”), Cognate with Scots strugil (“to struggle, grapple, contend”). Also related to Middle Low German strûkelen ("to stumble"; > Low German strükeln), Old High German strūhhēn, strūhhōn ("to stumble, trip, tumble, go astray"; > German strauchen, straucheln). Alternative etymology derives the base of struggle from Old Norse strúgr (“arrogance, pride, spitefulness, ill-will”) + -le (frequentative suffix), from Proto-Germanic *strūkaz (“stiff, rigid”), ultimately from the same Proto-Indo-European root above, which would make it cognate with dialectal Swedish strug (“contention, strife, discord”), Norwegian stru (“obstinate, unruly”), Danish struende (“reluctantly”), Scots strug (“difficulty, perplexity, a laborious task”).

Meanings

1. A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task.
2. (figuratively) Strife, contention, great effort.
   • R. Moskowitz charges cisgender readers to be as conscious and deliberate with our religious identities as transgender and gender non-conforming people are with theirs, arguing that holiness is only achieved through continuous and unrelenting struggle and change. 2019, Rachel Timoner, “Book Review: Textual Activism by Rabbi Mike Moskowitz”, in Tikkun:
   • The struggle with ways and means had recommenced, more difficult now a hundredfold than it had been before, because of their increasing needs. Their income disappeared as a little rivulet that is swallowed by the thirsty ground. He worked night and day to supplement it. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

struggleism · struggle meal · armed struggle · strugglesome · struggleless · struggle session · struggle kid · power struggle · struggly · struggle-buggy · struggleful · class struggle · struggle bus · counterstruggle · death-struggle · the struggle is real

Descendants

struggle

Translations (133)

ca lluita (strife, effort) · te పోరాటం (strife, effort) · tg ҷанг (strife, effort) · es renqueo (strife, effort) · nn kamp (strife, effort) · uk боротьба́ (strife, effort) · tt көрәш (strife, effort) · hu igyekezet (strife, effort) · mk бој (strife, effort) · nb kamp (strife, effort) · be бі́тва (strife, effort) · sv kamp (strife, effort) · da kamp (strife, effort) · ja 戦い (strife, effort) · txb weta (strife, effort) · ru би́тва (strife, effort) · sh bòrba (strife, effort) · sk bitka (strife, effort) · es brega (strife, effort) · bg бой (strife, effort) · tr mücadele (strife, effort) · lv cīņa (strife, effort) · lt kova (strife, effort) · fr lutte (strife, effort) · pl bitwa (strife, effort) · ba көрәш (strife, effort) · cs boj (strife, effort) · ko 고투 (strife, effort) · pt luta (strife, effort) · ml പോരാട്ടം (strife, effort) · ja 奮闘 (strife, effort) · nb dragkamp (strife, effort) · cs bitva (strife, effort) · gl loita (strife, effort) · bg би́тка (strife, effort) · uk бій (strife, effort) · eu borroka (strife, effort) · be бой (strife, effort) · it lotta (strife, effort) · mi takaoraora (strife, effort) · uz kurash (strife, effort) · tg талош (strife, effort) · vi (cuộc) đấu tranh (strife, effort) · es lucha (strife, effort) · cmn 鬥爭 /斗争 (strife, effort) · mi nonoketanga (strife, effort) · be барацьба́ (strife, effort) · hi संघर्ष (strife, effort) · fa مبارزه (strife, effort) · es bregadura (strife, effort) · is barátta (strife, effort) · de Struggle (strife, effort) · kk күрес (strife, effort) · az mübarizə (strife, effort) · uk би́тва (strife, effort) · eo lukto (strife, effort) · ja 闘争 (strife, effort) · ru борьба́ (strife, effort) · sl borba (strife, effort) · cs zápas (strife, effort) · tk göreş (strife, effort) · ckb خەبات (strife, effort) · my တိုက်ပွဲ (strife, effort) · ka ჭიდილი (strife, effort) · hu erőfeszítés (strife, effort) · be змага́нне (strife, effort) · eo barakto (contortion of the body) · pl walka (strife, effort) · nl strijd (strife, effort) · gl liorta (strife, effort) · gl baralla (strife, effort) · ta போராட்டம் (strife, effort) · fa پیکار (strife, effort) · hu harc (strife, effort) · mi nonoke (strife, effort) · ro luptă (strife, effort) · sh бо̑ј (strife, effort) · de Gefecht (strife, effort) · ar جِهَاد (strife, effort) · mi hōkariri (strife, effort) · mn тэмцэл (strife, effort) · he מַאֲבָק (strife, effort) · ar نِضَال (strife, effort) · th การดิ้นรน (strife, effort) · et lahing (strife, effort) · mk битка (strife, effort) · tg муҳориба (strife, effort) · sq përleshje (strife, effort) · nn dragkamp (strife, effort) · ko 투쟁 (strife, effort) · sq luftë (strife, effort) · ru бой (strife, effort) · tg пайкор (strife, effort) · sh би̏тка (strife, effort) · yi קאַמף (strife, effort) · bg борба́ (strife, effort) · sl boj (strife, effort) · hy պայքար (strife, effort) · id ulet (strife, effort) · mk борба (strife, effort) · sh bȏj (strife, effort) · hu viaskodás (strife, effort) · ko 싸움 (strife, effort) · gl breiga (strife, effort) · cmn 奮鬥 /奋斗 (strife, effort) · cmn 掙扎 (strife, effort) · de Kampf (strife, effort) · tr vuruşma (strife, effort) · gl lea (strife, effort) · fi taistelu (strife, effort) · hu küszködés (strife, effort) · sh бо̀рба (strife, effort) · ky күрөш (strife, effort) · mi tāruketanga (strife, effort) · tg мубориза (strife, effort) · mi takaoraoratanga (strife, effort) · mi tawhetatanga (strife, effort) · ar كِفَاح (strife, effort) · hi लड़ाई (strife, effort) · el αγώνας (strife, effort) · sk boj (strife, effort) · ko 분투 (strife, effort) · nl gevecht (strife, effort) · pl bój (strife, effort) · ug كۈرەش (strife, effort) · hu küzdelem (strife, effort) · ga sníomh (strife, effort) · af stryd (strife, effort) · sk zápas (strife, effort) · gd iomairt (strife, effort) · ar قِتَال (strife, effort) · sh bȉtka (strife, effort) · ar مُبَارَزَة (strife, effort)

struggle en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• [ˈstɹʌɡl̩] (UK, US)
• /ˈstɹʌɡəl/ (UK, US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English struglen, stroglen, strogelen, of obscure origin; perhaps from a variant of *strokelen, *stroukelen (> English stroll), from Middle Dutch struyckelen ("to stumble, trip, falter"; > Modern Dutch struikelen), the frequentative form of Old Dutch *strūkon (“to stumble”), from Proto-Germanic *strūkōną, *strūkēną (“to be stiff”), from Proto-Indo-European *strug-, *ster- (“to be stiff; to bristle, strut, stumble, fall”), Cognate with Scots strugil (“to struggle, grapple, contend”). Also related to Middle Low German strûkelen ("to stumble"; > Low German strükeln), Old High German strūhhēn, strūhhōn ("to stumble, trip, tumble, go astray"; > German strauchen, straucheln). Alternative etymology derives the base of struggle from Old Norse strúgr (“arrogance, pride, spitefulness, ill-will”) + -le (frequentative suffix), from Proto-Germanic *strūkaz (“stiff, rigid”), ultimately from the same Proto-Indo-European root above, which would make it cognate with dialectal Swedish strug (“contention, strife, discord”), Norwegian stru (“obstinate, unruly”), Danish struende (“reluctantly”), Scots strug (“difficulty, perplexity, a laborious task”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight (for or against), to contend.
   • At Par, 150207 is the unit for the 1416 to Newquay. It is quite tatty and lacks tables - but does have plug sockets. It sounds laboured as it leaves, and while it sounds like it's struggling as it tackles Luxulyan, it's not losing time. 2026 January 7, 'Mystery Shopper', “Cornish cream - without the jams?”, in RAIL, number 1052, page 48:
   • During the centuries, the people of Ireland struggled constantly to assert their right to govern themselves.
   • Most train operators have reduced services with emergency timetables, as they struggle to cope with a rapid increase in staff absences due to the Omicron variant of COVID. 2022 January 12, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Emergency timetables as absences surge due to COVID”, in RAIL, number 948, page 6:
   • England were ponderous with ball in hand, their runners static when taking the ball and their lines obvious, while their front row struggled badly in the scrum. 2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland”, in BBC Sport:
   • Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic who still resists the idea that something drastic needs to happen for him to turn his life around. 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
   • Troutbeck is a tiny village midway between Penrith and Keswick in a very sparsely populated part of Cumberland, and it used to be said by facetious travellers that the reason why it ever had a station at all was to give the engine a rest after it had struggled up the long and trying incline from Threlkeld. 1951 October, “Notes and News: The Harmonium at Troutbeck”, in Railway Magazine, page 709:
   • The sheriff’s office released a compilation of bodycam footage Friday from deputies at the scene that shows them handcuffing Earl and pinning him down for more than 20 minutes as he struggles and repeatedly shouts for help. 2024 September 30, Chelsea Bailey, “‘Take his pulse, he’s blue’: Bodycam footage shows fatal encounter between epileptic Indiana man and first responders”, in CNN:
2. (intransitive) To have difficulty with something.
   • Then our first effort must be to identify the actual words. Only after recognizing them individually can we begin to try to understand them, to struggle with perceiving what they mean. 1972, Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 17:
   • One of the doctor’s patients struggled with depression.
3. (intransitive) To strive, or to make efforts, with a twisting, or with contortions of the body.
   • She struggled to escape from her assailant's grasp.
   • Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill. 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

struggler · unstruggling · struggling

Descendants

struggelen

Synonyms

agonize

Translations (115)

es pasarlas negras (to have difficulty with something) · fi ponnistella (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · bg би́я се (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · pt lutar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · be змага́цца (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · uk би́тися (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ckb تێکۆشان (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · vi đấu tranh (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · fr lutter (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ko 투쟁(鬪爭)하다 (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · hi जूझना (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mt tqatel (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mi nonoke (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · sl boriti se (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mi okeoke (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · scn cummàttiri (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · pl bić się (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · scn lavurari (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · eo barakti (to make efforts with twisting or contortions of the body) · no kjempe (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es batallar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ru боро́ться (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mn тэмцэх (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ru дра́ться (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es padecer (to have difficulty with something) · mi oke (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · bg боря́ се (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · fa چخیدن (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mk се бори (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · de struggeln (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · nl vechten (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ca lluitar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · grc ἀπορέω (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · fr combattre (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es pasarlas moradas (to have difficulty with something) · nl moeite hebben (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · uz kurashmoq (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · la dīmicō (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es vérselas y deseárselas (to have difficulty with something) · es renquear (to have difficulty with something) · id kerja keras (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ru би́ться (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · hu harcol (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · fi kamppailla (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · pl walczyć (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · hu erőlködik (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · az döyüşmək (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · tr mücadele etmek (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · la luctor (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mi takaoraora (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es costarle (to have difficulty with something) · eu borrokatu (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es pugnar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · cmn 奮鬥 /奋斗 (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ko 몸부림치다 (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · pt debater-se (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · sv kämpa (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mi tāruke (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ru сража́ться (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ro lupta (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · az mücadilə aparmaq (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · hu küzd (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · az çarpışmaq (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ja 奮闘する (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · uk пруча́тися (to make efforts with twisting or contortions of the body) · hu viaskodik (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · la nītor (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ga streachail (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · gl rifar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · gl loitar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · eo lukti (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · az mübarizə aparmaq (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · uk боро́тися (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · be бі́цца (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mt ssielet (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es luchar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · no slåss (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · az mübarizə etmək (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · hu küszködik (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es esforzarse con denuedo (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · no slite streve (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · sh boriti se (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · de sich durchbeißen (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · fr s'efforcer (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es bregar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ckb خەبات (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · tr çırpınmak (to make efforts with twisting or contortions of the body) · ang flītan (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · sk biť sa (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · da kæmpe (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ar كافح (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · hu igyekszik (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · es verse y desearse (to have difficulty with something) · ar جَاهَدَ (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · cs zápasit (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ko 싸우다 (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · sh борити се (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ar نَاضَلَ (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · it lottare (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · hy պայքարել (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · de sich schwer tun (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · scn luttari (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · az vuruşmaq (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ang winnan (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · gl combater (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mt ġġieled (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · gl breigar (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · scn travagghiari (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ro zbate (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mi parawhetawheta (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · sk bojovať (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · ja 闘争する (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · nl worstelen (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · mt tqabad (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight) · th ดิ้นรน (to strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight)