struggle */*/

I UK [ˈstrʌɡ(ə)l] / US verb [intransitive]
Word forms "struggle":
present tense I/you/we/they struggle he/she/it struggles present participle struggling past tense struggled past participle struggled

1) to try hard to do something that you find very difficult

He struggled a bit at first, but he reads well now.

struggle to do something:

She was struggling to cope with the demands of her work.

struggle with:

They've had to struggle with the painful process of modernization.

struggle for:

Andy was coughing and struggling for breath.

2) to use your strength to fight against someone or something

She picked the child up, but he struggled and kicked.

struggle for:

They struggled for possession of the gun.

a) to try very hard to move something or to move yourself somewhere

struggle to do something:

The sheep struggled to free itself.

struggle with:

Foster was struggling with the door in the wind.

b) to manage with a lot of difficulty to move yourself somewhere

struggle into/out of etc:

She struggled into her tight jacket.

struggle free:

He struggled free and ran to his car to call for help.

3) to try very hard to defeat someone or to stop them having power over you

struggle to do something:

We have to struggle to win our freedom.

struggle for:

Different factions in the movement are struggling for supremacy.

struggle against:

women struggling against oppression

II UK [ˈstrʌɡ(ə)l] / US noun
Word forms "struggle":
singular struggle plural struggles

1) [countable, usually singular] an attempt to do something that takes a lot of effort over a period of time

struggle for:

his struggle for recognition as a poet

struggle with:

Her struggle with the disease lasted ten years.

2)

a) [countable/uncountable] a fight, or a war

There was a brief struggle, then a shot was fired.

a group involved in armed struggle against the government

b) an attempt to defeat someone or something, or to stop them from having power over you

struggle against:

the struggle against racism

struggle for:

her part in the struggle for democracy

power struggle:

Their marriage was a constant power struggle.

3) [singular] something that takes a lot of physical or mental effort

Foreign languages were always a struggle for him.

It was a struggle to get up the hill in the snow.