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# struggle

«struggle» in Mova's school dictionary: **to try very hard to do something difficult** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (struggle, struggles, struggled, struggling); noun (a struggle, struggles)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To struggle means to try very hard to do something difficult. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#m1)

2) To struggle means to fight or twist your body to get free. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#m2)

3) A struggle is a hard effort or a fight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

At school, pupils «struggle with» hard subjects (fractions, spelling) — that is normal and a part of learning; asking for help is smart. In science and stories, animals struggle to survive in harsh habitats. In safety, if someone struggles in water, do not jump in: shout for help and throw something that floats. Phrases: struggle with, struggle to, a struggle for, struggle free, it was a struggle.

### examples

- I struggled with my long division at first. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#x1)
- The baby bird struggled to get out of its egg. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#x2)
- Getting up early on Monday is a struggle. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#x3)
- The cat struggled out of my arms. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#x4)
- Plants struggle to grow in the desert. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#x5)
- He was struggling to carry the heavy box, so I helped. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#x6)
- If you see someone struggling in the water, shout for a lifeguard. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#x7)
- The struggle began, and a terrible struggle it was. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/#x8)

### note

Regular verb: struggled, struggling. «Struggle with» (a problem) and «struggle to do» (an action). Struggling does not mean you are bad at something; it often means you are learning.

### In the corpora

- [«Why strive? why struggle?» (strive = try hard)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/63-willows-ch10-part3-the-conceited-song/28/)
- ["Reluctant reader" means a child who dislikes or struggles with reading.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/17-school-and-pets/12/)
- ["Struggling learner" means a weak student.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/17-school-and-pets/13/)
- [Many children who struggle in class simply cannot see or hear well, and a check-up can fix it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/211-growing-seeing-and-hearing/19/)
- [Kids who look after a poorly or struggling parent are called young carers, and there are groups and help for them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/497-tired-sad-or-drinking-parents-tell-a-trusted-adult/22/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «struggle» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/struggle/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.