strive
[verb]
Synonyms: try, attempt, bend over backwards (informal), break one's neck (informal), do one's best, give it one's best shot (informal), go all out (informal), knock oneself out (informal), labour, make an all-out effort (informal), struggle, toil

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Related Words: labor, toil, travail, work, drive, strain

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English Thesaurus: try, attempt, do your best, make an effort to do something, struggle, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

strive /straɪv/ verb (past tense strove /strəʊv $ stroʊv/, past participle striven /ˈstrɪvən/) [intransitive] formal
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: estriver]
to make a great effort to achieve something
strive to do something
I was still striving to be successful.
strive for/after
We must continue to strive for greater efficiency.
—striving noun [uncountable and countable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

strive
verb
ADV. hard, mightily He strove very hard to remain calm.
desperately desperately striving for some sort of dignity
earnestly | always, constantly, continually
PREP. after striving after artistic beauty
against man striving against the elements
for The school constantly strives for excellence in its teaching.
towards companies that strive towards bigger profits

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

try to take action in order to do something that you may not be able to do:
I tried to explain what was wrong.
He tries hard in class, but he’s finding the work difficult.
attempt to try to do something, especially something difficult. Attempt is more formal than try and is used especially in written English:
Any prisoner who attempts to escape will be shot.
He was attempting to climb one of the world’s highest mountains.
do your best to try as hard as you can to do something:
We will do our best to help them.
make an effort to do something to try to do something, when you find this difficult:
It is worth making an effort to master these skills.
She made a big effort to be nice to him.
struggle to try very hard to do something that is very difficult, especially for a long time:
She’s still struggling to give up smoking.
Many of these families are struggling to survive.
strive formal to try very hard to achieve something:
The company must constantly strive for greater efficiency.
endeavour British English, endeavor American English /ɪnˈdevə $ -ər/ formal to try hard to do something:
Each employee shall endeavour to provide customers with the best service possible.
have a go/try informal to try to do something, especially when you are not sure that you will succeed:
I’m not very good at fixing taps, but I’ll have a go.
Do you want to have another try?
see if you can do something spoken to try to do something – used when offering to do something, or suggesting that someone should do something:
I’ll see if I can get you a ticket.
See if you can persuade her to come.
fight the process in which people try to stop something bad from happening or to improve a situation:
Schools have an important part to play in the fight against drugs.
women’s fight for equality
battle a fight to change a situation or deal with a problem in society:
The battle against racial discrimination is not over.
campaign a planned series of actions intended to achieve something:
Motoring organizations started a campaign for safer roads.
crusade someone’s fight against something they think is morally wrong:
She intends to continue her crusade against sex and violence on TV.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

try to take action in order to do something that you may not be able to do:
I tried to explain what was wrong.
He tries hard in class, but he’s finding the work difficult.
attempt to try to do something, especially something difficult. Attempt is more formal than try and is used especially in written English:
Any prisoner who attempts to escape will be shot.
He was attempting to climb one of the world’s highest mountains.
do your best to try as hard as you can to do something:
We will do our best to help them.
make an effort to do something to try to do something, when you find this difficult:
It is worth making an effort to master these skills.
She made a big effort to be nice to him.
struggle to try very hard to do something that is very difficult, especially for a long time:
She’s still struggling to give up smoking.
Many of these families are struggling to survive.
strive formal to try very hard to achieve something:
The company must constantly strive for greater efficiency.
endeavour British English, endeavor American English /ɪnˈdevə $ -ər/ formal to try hard to do something:
Each employee shall endeavour to provide customers with the best service possible.
have a go/try informal to try to do something, especially when you are not sure that you will succeed:
I’m not very good at fixing taps, but I’ll have a go.
Do you want to have another try?
see if you can do something spoken to try to do something – used when offering to do something, or suggesting that someone should do something:
I’ll see if I can get you a ticket.
See if you can persuade her to come.
have a try
I decided to have one last try.
give it a try informal
If your instinct is telling you to give it a try, then go ahead.
be worth a try (=be worth trying to do because you may succeed)
It’s worth a try – we’ve nothing to lose.
a good try
‘Do you really think you can win?’ ‘I’m going to have a darn good try.’
a nice try (=a good try that is not successful)
Nice try, Claudia, but not good enough, I’m afraid.
sb’s first/second try
This is his first try at directing.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲