struggle

Universal Words verb, noun verb 1 ~ (for sth) to try very hard to do sth when it is difficult or when there are a lot of problems: [V] a country struggling for independence * Shona struggled for breath. * life as a struggling artist (= one who is very poor) * [Vtoinf] They struggled just to pay their bills. * She struggled for 10 years to achieve success as an actress. 2 [V+adv./prep.] to move somewhere or do sth with difficulty: I struggled up the hill with the heavy bags. * Paul struggled out of his wheelchair. * She had to struggle into the tight dress. 3 [V] ~ (against / with sb/sth) to fight against sb/sth in order to prevent a bad situation or result: He struggled against cancer for two years. * Lisa struggled with her conscience before talking to the police. 4 [V] ~ (with sb) to fight sb or try to get away from them: Ben and Jack struggled together on the grass. * I struggled and screamed for help. * James was hit in the mouth as he struggled with the raiders. * How did she manage to struggle free? 5 [V] ~ (with sb) (for sth) to compete or argue with sb, especially in order to get sth: rival leaders struggling for power PHRASALVERBS struggle along / on to continue in spite of problems: The business struggled along for some time. * Life is hard but we all have to struggle on. noun 1 [C] ~ (with sb) (for / against sth)