Word
struggle
Phoneticsstrug·gle, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈstɹəɡəɫ/
UK/stɹˈʌɡəl/
Definitions
01to have difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
v. to find something very hard to do or deal with.
v. to experience significant difficulty in achieving a task or maintaining a standard.
日本語:苦戦する※
“Many students struggle with math because the concepts are quite abstract.”
“Even experienced researchers struggle to keep pace with the sheer volume of new data being published in the field every month.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'with' or followed by an infinitive.
Pitfall
He struggles with do his homework.
He struggles with doing his homework.
The preposition 'with' must be followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).
02to move with effort
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to move your body with great effort, often to get free from something.
v. to make violent or forceful physical efforts to escape from restraint or to move through an obstacle.
日本語:もがく※
“The cat struggled to get out of the carrier when we arrived at the vet.”
“The climber struggled against the gale-force winds, trying to maintain his footing on the narrow, icy ridge.”
Usage
Intransitive verb; often describes physical resistance.
03a difficult task
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. a situation that is very hard to deal with or requires a lot of work.
n. an act of striving or a period of difficult effort against opposition or hardship.
日本語:苦戦※
“It was a real struggle to finish the marathon in such hot weather.”
“The long struggle for independence eventually led to a peaceful transition of power and the establishment of a new constitution.”
Usage
Countable noun.
04physical fight
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a physical fight or a situation where people use force against each other.
n. a physical encounter or scuffle involving forceful resistance.
“There were signs of a struggle in the room, with chairs knocked over and glass on the floor.”
“A brief struggle ensued as the guards attempted to disarm the intruder before he could reach the secure wing of the facility.”
Usage
Often used with 'ensued' or 'broke out'.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “struggle” in context.
Verb
01. struggle against the current
“The small boat struggled against the current for hours before reaching the harbor.”
verb + prep + noun
02. struggle for breath
“After sprinting for the bus, she sat down and struggled for breath.”
verb + prep + noun
03. struggle to breathe
“The air was so thin at the top of the mountain that he struggled to breathe.”
verb + infinitive
Adverb
04. constantly struggle with debt
“Many young families constantly struggle with debt due to rising living costs.”
adv + verb + prep + noun
05. desperately struggle
“The swimmers were desperately struggling to reach the shore before the tide turned.”
adv + verb
06. struggle hard
“She struggled hard to maintain her composure during the difficult interview.”
verb + adv
Real-World Examples
“Rideout's release comes as several countries in West Africa and the Sahel have been struggling with terror attacks.” “Tell us: have you struggled to find work later in your career?” “Many companies are also said to struggle with out-of-date computer systems, with around 60% more than 20-years-old.” “Buyers of AI services are struggling to control costs and sellers are not sure how much to charge.” Etymology
From Middle English struglen, stroglen, strogelen, of obscure origin. Cognate with Scots strugil (“to struggle, grapple, contend”). 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”), 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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0