Library / English Dictionary

STRIVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: striven    , strove   

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

To exert much effort or energy

Example:

straining our ears to hear

Synonyms:

reach; strain; strive

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "strive" is one way to...):

drive; labor; labour; push; tug (strive and make an effort to reach a goal)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "strive"):

extend oneself (strain to the utmost)

kill oneself; overexert oneself (strain oneself more than is healthy)

bother; inconvenience oneself; trouble; trouble oneself (take the trouble to do something; concern oneself)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Attempt by employing effort

Example:

we endeavor to make our customers happy

Synonyms:

endeavor; endeavour; strive

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "strive" is one way to...):

assay; attempt; essay; seek; try (make an effort or attempt)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "strive"):

struggle (to exert strenuous effort against opposition)

be at pains; take pains (try very hard to do something)

buck (to strive with determination)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

striving (an effortful attempt to attain a goal)

Credits

 Context examples: 

These were the thoughts of the man as he strove onward.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

All Meryton seemed striving to blacken the man who, but three months before, had been almost an angel of light.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Scientists are still striving for a solid theoretical understanding of how gas being pulled into black holes creates outflowing jets.

(The Giant Galaxy Around the Giant Black Hole, NASA)

Saturn will toughen you up and teach you the value of striving for excellence.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

His head was thrown a little back, and he had both hands up to the collar of his shirt, as though he were striving to undo it.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Again and again he strove to break away, but I as often headed him off.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In vain Buck strove to sink his teeth in the neck of the big white dog.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

In vain they strove to break loose.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Money is a needful and precious thing, and when well used, a noble thing, but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

She could consult with her brother, could receive her sister-in-law on her arrival, and treat her with proper attention; and could strive to rouse her mother to similar exertion, and encourage her to similar forbearance.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)