struggle

strug|gle1 [ `strʌgl ] verb intransitive **

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

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

struggle for: Andy was coughing and struggling for breath.

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

struggle to do something: She was struggling to cope with the demands of her work.

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 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 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

struggle

strug|gle 2 [ `strʌgl ] noun **

1. ) count 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. ) count or uncount a fight or a war:

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

a group involved in armed struggle against the government

a ) an attempt to defeat someone or something, or 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.