Online OXFORD Collocation Dictionary

struggle noun

¹ 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.

² 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.

struggle verb

¹ 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.

² have great difficulties

ADV. badly The team struggled badly last season. | financially I was unemployed and struggling financially.

³ 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.