Struggle With 's definition, meaning and history

Meaning of “struggle with”

“Struggle with” means to exert a lot of effort to deal with something difficult or challenging. It implies facing obstacles and putting in significant work to overcome them.

Here’s a breakdown of the meaning:

• Struggle: This refers to the act of using a lot of effort, often physical or mental, to deal with something.
• With: This preposition indicates the source of the difficulty or challenge.

Here are some examples to illustrate the meaning:

• He’s been struggling with his math homework all night. (He’s finding the homework difficult and putting in a lot of effort to complete it.)
• She’s struggling with a decision about her future career. (The decision is causing her difficulty and she’s weighing different options carefully.)
• The company is struggling with financial problems. (The company is facing financial challenges and needs to find solutions.)

“Struggle with” can be used for various difficulties, including:

• Internal conflicts: Struggling with emotions, doubts, or self-discipline.
• External challenges: Struggling with a task, situation, or another person.
• Abstract concepts: Struggling with a philosophical question or a complex idea.

History of “struggle with”

The exact origin of “struggle with” is a bit murky, but we can look at the history of its component parts to understand its development.

Here’s what we can track:

• Struggle: This word emerged around the 14th century, derived from Middle English “struglen” or “stroglen” which has an obscure origin”.
• With: This preposition has been around since Old English (“wiþ”) and has always conveyed the sense of accompaniment or association.

The tricky part is when “struggle” and “with” came together to express the specific meaning of difficulty.

Here are some possibilities:

• Evolution of “struggle”: The verb “struggle” initially meant “to grapple” or “to wrestle.” Over time, it broadened to encompass the broader sense of difficulty or exertion. The combination with “with” likely arose to specify the object of that difficulty.
• Influence of other phrases: There might have been influence from similar phrases like “contend with” or “cope with” which were already established.

Here’s a likely scenario:

• By the 16th or 17th century, “struggle” had gained its broader meaning.
• Around the same time, the combination with “with” became more common to specify the source of the difficulty.

While we can’t pinpoint an exact date, it likely emerged between the 16th and 18th centuries as the use of “struggle” evolved and the need for a clear way to express difficulty with something arose.

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