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verb try very hard to do sth ADV. desperately, hard, manfully, painfully, really, valiantly He struggled desperately to get to the shore. He struggled hard to keep the boat upright. | a little | constantly | on She struggled on despite the pain. VERB + STRUGGLE have to PREP. against The small boat struggled against the waves. | along, down, for Shona struggled for breath. | through The family struggled through the next few years. | up They struggled up the hill. | with I'm really struggling with this essay. PHRASES struggle to your feet She struggled to her feet and set off after him. have great difficulties ADV. badly The team struggled badly last season. | financially I was unemployed and struggling financially. fight sb/try to get away from them ADV. fiercely, furiously, violently She struggled furiously but could not get away. | together Ben and Jack struggled together on the grass. PREP. against struggling against her attacker | with He was hit in the mouth as he struggled with the raiders. PHRASES struggle free The attacker's victim managed to struggle free., noun fight ADJ. great, life-and-death, titanic | bitter, desperate, fierce, heroic, violent There were the sounds of a desperate struggle. | just The UN supported what it saw as the just struggle of an oppressed people. | unequal | armed The group supported the armed struggle against the dictator. | class, internecine Marx wrote about the class struggle. | economic, ideological, leadership, political, power, revolutionary VERB + STRUGGLE begin, put up, take up If someone snatched your bag, would you put up a struggle? They took up the struggle against racism. | be engaged/locked in, carry on, wage species engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the ever-changing environment STRUGGLE + VERB ensue, take place | continue, go on | intensify PREP. in a/the ~ One of the security guards was hurt in the struggle. | without a ~ She won't give up without a struggle. | ~ against the struggle against fascism | ~ between the struggle between good and evil | ~ for the long struggle for democracy | ~ over a struggle over the property | ~ with He was involved in a struggle with the police. PHRASES a sign of a struggle The police said that there was no sign of a struggle by the murder victim. | years of struggle After 150 years of struggle against brutal colonial rule, the country won its independence. great effort ADJ. desperate, great, hard, real, uphill It will be an uphill struggle to maintain exports at the current level. | long | ceaseless, constant, endless | unequal VERB + STRUGGLE face, have We had a real struggle to get everything into the suitcase. | give up I've given up the unequal struggle to keep my house tidy. PHRASES a bit of a struggle It was a bit of a struggle for me to get there so early.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary