Adjacent Words

Strive definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STRIVE, v.i. pret. strove; pp. striven. [G. This word coincides in elements with drive, and the primary sense is nearly the same. See Rival.]
1. To make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard; applicable to exertions of body or mind. A workman strives to perform his task before another; a student strives to excel his fellows in improvement.
Was it for this that his ambition strove to equal Cesar first, and after Jove?
Strive with me in your prayers to God for me. Romans 15.
Strive to enter in at the strait gate. Luke 8.
2. To contend; to contest; to struggle in opposition to another; to be in contention or dispute; followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth.
My spirit shall not always strive with man. Genesis 6.
3. To oppose by contrariety of qualities.
Now private pity strove with public hate, reason with rage, and eloquence with fate.
4. To vie; to be comparable to; to emulate; to contend in excellence.
Not that sweet grove of Daphne by Orontes, and the inspird Castalian spring, might with this paradise of Eden strive.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: attempt by employing effort; "we endeavor to make our customers happy" [syn: endeavor, endeavour, strive]
2: to exert much effort or energy; "straining our ears to hear" [syn: strive, reach, strain]

Merriam Webster's

intransitive verb (strove; also strived; striven or strived; striving) Etymology: Middle English, to quarrel, contend, fight, endeavor, from Anglo-French estriver to quarrel, from estri, estrif strife — more at strife Date: 13th century 1. to devote serious effort or energy ; endeavor <strive to finish a project> 2. to struggle in opposition ; contend Synonyms: see attempt • striver noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.intr. (past strove; past part. striven) 1 (often foll. by for, or to + infin.) try hard, make efforts (strive to succeed). 2 (often foll. by with, against) struggle or contend. Derivatives: striver n. Etymology: ME f. OF estriver, rel. to estrif STRIFE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Strive Strive, n. 1. An effort; a striving. [R.] --Chapman. 2. Strife; contention. [Obs.] --Wyclif (luke xxi. 9).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Strive Strive, v. i. [imp. Strove; p. p. Striven(Rarely, Strove); p. pr. & vb. n. Striving.] [OF. estriver; of Teutonic origin, and akin to G. streben, D. streven, Dan. str[ae]be, Sw. str["a]fva. Cf. Strife.] 1. To make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard. Was for this his ambition strove To equal C[ae]sar first, and after, Jove? --Cowley. 2. To struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest; -- followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth. --Chaucer. My Spirit shall not always strive with man. --Gen. vi. 3. Why dost thou strive against him? --Job xxxiii. 13. Now private pity strove with public hate, Reason with rage, and eloquence with fate. --Denham. 3. To vie; to compete; to be a rival. --Chaucer. [Not] that sweet grove Of Daphne, by Orontes and the inspired Castalian spring, might with this paradise Of Eden strive. --Milton. Syn: To contend; vie; struggle; endeavor; aim.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(strives, striving) Note: The past tense is either 'strove' or 'strived', and the past participle is either 'striven' or 'strived'. If you strive to do something or strive for something, you make a great effort to do it or get it. He strives hard to keep himself very fit... Mr Annan said the region must now strive for economic development as well as peace. VERB: V to-inf, V for n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

striv.

See GAMES, II, 2.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Labor, endeavor, toil, struggle, try, aim, exert one's self, make an effort, do one's best, lay one's self out. 2. Contend, contest, fight, have a contest. 3. Compete, cope, strive together, contend, struggle. 4. (Poetical.) Vie, compete, compare, be comparable.

Moby Thesaurus

agonize, aim, aim to, assay, attempt, attempt to, battle, be determined, box, brawl, broil, buffet, clash, close, collide, combat, come to blows, compete, contend, contest, cut and thrust, dare to, drive, duel, endeavor, essay, exchange blows, fence, feud, fight, fight a duel, give and take, give satisfaction, go all out, grapple, grapple with, grunt and sweat, hassle, huff and puff, jostle, joust, labor, make every effort, mix it up, moil, offer, pretend to, quarrel, rassle, resolve, riot, run a tilt, scramble, scuffle, seek, seek to, skirmish, spar, strain, strive to, struggle, study, study to, sweat, sweat blood, thrust and parry, tilt, toil, tourney, travail, try, try and, try hard, try to, tug, tussle, undertake, venture to, wage war, war, work, work at, wrestle