What does struggled mean?
Struggled is the past-tense and third-person singular present form of struggle. It is used when someone tries to do something despite difficulty, hardship, uncertainty, or limited resources. The verb can indicate persistent effort, as in “She struggled to finish the race,” or a sustained condition of difficulty, as in “The company struggled during the recession.” It may also describe undertaking an activity with difficulty or discomfort: “He struggled to control his anger.” Because struggled often combines effort with adversity, it frequently carries a slightly sympathetic tone, though it can simply report a difficult period. The form is common in British and American English and functions in both formal writing and everyday speech. As a third-person singular present, it takes a singular subject, while in the past it normally appears with past-time expressions or completed actions.
verbTo experience difficulty or prolonged effort in doing something, especially because of adversity or limited resources. It can also mean to try hard to overcome difficulties.
- To try hard to do or achieve something, especially in the face of difficulty.
- To experience serious difficulty, hardship, or lack of success in doing something.
- To continue making an effort despite difficulties.
"She struggled to adjust to life in a unfamiliar city."
"The small business struggled during its first year in the market."
"He struggled to contain his frustration during the long meeting."
"After months of uncertainty, the survivors struggled to reach the shore."
Struggled can mean either trying hard or finding something exceptionally difficult, so it captures both determined effort and hardship.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does struggled come from?
The verb belongs to a word family whose precise early development is not entirely transparent. Its earliest documented history is early modern, and it was used with the sense of striving or making an effort before acquiring the modern associations with hardship and prolonged difficulty.
Related word forms
How struggled is actually used
The form is the simple past tense and third-person singular present of struggle. In its commonest sense, it usually implies difficulty or adversity, but it can also emphasize persistent effort without necessarily implying failure.
Easily confused with struggled
Struggled is a past-tense or third-person singular verb form, whereas struggle is the base verb and can also be a noun.