1
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
each week I would struggle through my piano lesson, keenly aware that I wasn't getting any better
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in labored
to devote serious and sustained effort
the financially strapped couple struggled to make ends meet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of struggled
But the California native struggled throughout the postseason and had just one hit and seven strikeouts across the first three World Series games.
—
Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
England had noticed Patri had struggled with the same issue against Switzerland.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Jean Silva The Fighting Nerds have struggled as of late.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The Patriots take on the Dolphins on the road in Week 2, and yes, the Patriots have historically struggled down in Miami.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Fighter jets have long struggled to integrate AI into radar systems due to limited space, power, and processing capacity.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
While the opening drive Saturday was explosive, Mizzou struggled to maintain that energy in the first quarter.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
The Bears offense struggled under coordinator Shane Waldron, so he was fired.
—Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
When Barbra Streisand struggled with the replacement orchestrations during a recording session, the conductor had Cullen’s original scores on hand.
—Darryn King, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
England had noticed Patri had struggled with the same issue against Switzerland.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Jean Silva The Fighting Nerds have struggled as of late.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The Patriots take on the Dolphins on the road in Week 2, and yes, the Patriots have historically struggled down in Miami.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Fighter jets have long struggled to integrate AI into radar systems due to limited space, power, and processing capacity.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
While the opening drive Saturday was explosive, Mizzou struggled to maintain that energy in the first quarter.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
The Bears offense struggled under coordinator Shane Waldron, so he was fired.
—Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
When Barbra Streisand struggled with the replacement orchestrations during a recording session, the conductor had Cullen’s original scores on hand.
—Darryn King, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for struggled
Verb
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The Wildcats stumbled early but got hot in October, won 10 games, beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl and were one of the biggest surprises in the country.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Patriots stumbled at the start of the Mike Vrabel era last week, dropping a winnable game to the Raiders at home as favorites.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some of the works would be labored over and over and over again.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
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But that’s not why Fastvold and Corbet — who as directors have now had two features each in competition in Venice — labored over the film.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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There were quite a few troubling snaps to Young, and that’s a tough look for a pair that have worked together at their positions in each of the past two summer.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When the shot rang out, Nathalie tried to reach her daughter, but the melee of panicked runners forced her out a side gate.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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The next day, Encarnacion hit a 442-foot homer in his second at-bat of the game, then injured his hamstring in his third at-bat as Encarnacion tried running out an infield single.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Struggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/struggled. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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